What happened: protest outside BCI chairperson Manan Kumar Mishra’s office
More than 200 advocates staged a protest in Delhi outside Bar Council of India (BCI) chairperson Manan Kumar Mishra’s office. The protest escalated calls for Mishra to be removed, linking the leadership question to an earlier controversy involving a BCI circular and student backlash around a convocation at NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad.
Background and earlier position: the BCI circular dated August 13 and its withdrawal
The protest drew attention to an August 13 circular issued by the Bar Council of India. The circular instructed State Bar Councils not to enrol graduates from NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad after students opposed the participation of the Chief Justice of India in NALSAR’s convocation. The circular was withdrawn within hours, but senior advocates and NALSAR alumni continued to criticise the episode.
The controversy also included a later apology by Mishra to law students. Despite the apology, protest-related criticism continued, including claims that the apology was insufficient because it came after an extended controversy.