Bar Council Chief Says Order Against Law Students Was “Done In Haste”

Bar Council of India (BCI) Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra has acknowledged that the council acted in “haste” when it issued an order preventing students of the National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR) from enrolling as advocates, before withdrawing the directive hours later. The episode has triggered questions over the decision-making process behind the original order and the subsequent reversal, particularly because the action directly affected students preparing to enter the legal profession.

The controversy began after students at Hyderabad's NALSAR University of Law protested against an invitation extended to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant to attend the institution's convocation. The students' protest was followed by a strong response from the BCI. The council directed every State Bar Council not to enroll any student graduating from NALSAR in 2026 as an advocate until further orders. The directive meant that students from the graduating batch could potentially face a delay in obtaining the professional enrolment required to begin practising law.

The order issued by the BCI on Thursday evening came as a significant step against the students and the institution. Rather than being limited to those who had participated in the protest, the directive applied broadly to the 2026 graduating batch of NALSAR. The move therefore raised concerns among students and the wider legal community about whether an institutional dispute should have consequences for an entire graduating class. The order also attracted criticism because enrolment as an advocate is an important transition for law graduates seeking to enter legal practice.

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However, the BCI reversed its decision within hours. The council withdrew the directive on Thursday evening, removing the immediate restriction on the NALSAR students. The reversal followed deliberations within the council and came amid growing scrutiny of the original decision. The swift change in position highlighted the contrast between the seriousness of the initial order and the speed with which it was subsequently rescinded.

Speaking about the decision and the subsequent withdrawal, Mishra conceded that the initial order had been issued in haste. He said the move was recalled after deliberations and indicated that the matter would not be pursued further. According to Mishra, there will be “no further inquiry into the matter and the issue now stands closed”. His comments effectively brought an end to the action against the students and clarified that the BCI would not proceed with the inquiry that had followed the controversy.

The episode has nevertheless placed the BCI's handling of the matter under scrutiny. The council is responsible for regulating the legal profession and plays a central role in matters concerning the enrolment of advocates. Any decision affecting the eligibility of graduating law students can therefore have significant professional consequences. In this case, the withdrawal of the order means that the 2026 NALSAR graduates are no longer subject to the blanket restriction announced by the BCI. The controversy also serves as an example of how decisions taken by professional regulatory bodies can have immediate consequences for students and why such measures require careful consideration before being issued.

With the order now withdrawn and the proposed inquiry closed, the immediate dispute between the BCI and the NALSAR students has come to an end. The BCI's reversal has removed the uncertainty surrounding the professional enrolment of the affected graduates, while Mishra's admission that the original decision was taken in haste has provided an explanation for the rapid sequence of events. The matter began with a student protest over the invitation to the Chief Justice of India and escalated into an order affecting an entire graduating batch, only to be reversed within hours. The latest position from the BCI is that there will be no further inquiry and that the issue is closed.

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