NALSAR Student Bar Council Rejects BCI Restriction on 2026 Batch Enrolment, Demands Apology

Published Aug 15, 06:05 AM UTC

The Student Bar Council (SBC) of NALSAR University of Law has strongly condemned the Bar Council of India's (BCI) blanket restriction preventing the university's 2026 graduating batch from enrolling with any State Bar Council. In a statement issued after midnight on August 14, 2026, the SBC argued that the provisions cited by the BCI, including sections of the Advocates Act and a 2002 Supreme Court ruling, do not authorize such restrictions. The SBC raised privacy concerns over proposed identification of students and faculty, and invoked Article 19(1)(a) to affirm that universities must protect independent thought and criticism of authority. The Council demanded an apology from BCI Chairman and MP Manan Kumar Mishra for his language against the NALSAR community, situating the incident within wider concerns over repression and unfreedom.