BCI action, U-turn and SC rebuke: How NALSAR student protests against CJI erupted in controversy

CJI
Su ya
Ka t
ebukes
BCI
ove
NALSAR
e olme t
ba ,
says
stude ts
have
ight
to
p otest
peacefully.

NEW
DELHI:
Chief
Justice
of
I dia
Su ya
Ka t
o
F iday
st o gly
disapp oved
of
the
Ba
Cou cil
of
I dia’s
ow- evoked
decisio
to
stop
e olme t
of
2026
g aduates
of
Hyde abad’s
NALSAR
U ive sity
of
Law
as
advocates
afte
stude ts
opposed
his
i vitatio
as
chief
guest
fo
the
u ive sity’s
co vocatio .
The
Sup eme
Cou t
said
stude ts
had
a
ight
to
p otest
peacefully
a d
stayed
a y
coe cive
actio
agai st
NALSAR
stude ts
o
faculty
by
the
BCI
o
state
Ba
Cou cils.”If
stude ts
a e
p otesti g
peacefully,
who
is
BCI
to
take
actio ?
It
is
the
ight
of
the
stude ts
to
p otest
peacefully.
It
is
a
dialogue
betwee
stude ts
a d
me.
No
o e
else
has
to
step
i ,”
the
CJI
said.The
be ch,
comp isi g
CJI
Su ya
Ka t
a d
Justices
Joymalya
Bagchi
a d
V
Moha a,
said
the
BCI’s
actio
was
“absolutely
u called
fo “.
The
cou t
posted
the
matte
fo
hea i g
afte
two
weeks.The
co t ove sy
bega
afte
a
sectio
of
NALSAR
stude ts
u ged
the
u ive sity
to
eco side
i viti g
CJI
Ka t
as
chief
guest
fo
its
upcomi g
co vocatio .
The
stude ts
had
cited
his
epo ted
ema ks
du i g
a
hea i g
o
alleged
police
excesses
agai st
p oteste s
du i g
the
July
20
ma ch
to
Pa liame t.

How
the
NALSAR
ow
bega

At
least
six
ep ese tatio s
we e
submitted
to
the
NALSAR
admi ist atio
f om
stude ts
of
diffe e t
batches,
with
the
fi st
bei g
submitted
o
July
23.

The
stude ts
objected
to
the
p oposed
i vitatio
a d
efe ed
to
ema ks
att ibuted
to
the
CJI
du i g
the
hea i g.O e
of
the
ep ese tatio s
cited
his
espo se
to
a
offe
to
show
videos
of
the
alleged
police
actio :
“We
a e
ot
i te ested
i
videos;
we
do ’t
have
time
to
watch.”
The
lette
also
quoted
him
as
telli g
cou sel:
“Do ’t
waste
ou
time,
a d
do ’t
waste
you
time”.The
stude ts
a gued
that
i viti g
the
CJI
co flicted
with
the
u ive sity’s
stated
commitme t
to
co stitutio al
ights
a d
access
to
justice.”A
co vocatio
is
mea t
to
be
a
mome t
whe e
the
U ive sity’s
ow
values,
i cludi g
a
commitme t
to
co stitutio al
ights,
access
to
justice,
a d
easo ed
e gageme t
with
g ieva ces,
a e
visibly
eflected
i
the
choices
it
makes.
We
feel
that
eceivi g
ou
deg ees
f om
a
dig ita y
whose
ece t
public
co duct,
as
epo ted,
appea s
dismissive
of
se ious
allegatio s
of
police
b utality
agai st
p otesti g
citize s
sits
u comfo tably
with
what
we
have
bee
taught
to
value
du i g
ou
time
at
NALSAR.”Five
subseque t
ep ese tatio s
f om
diffe e t
batches
suppo ted
the
co ce s
aised
i
the
i itial
lette .
Stude ts
claimed
that
hu d eds
had
backed
the
ep ese tatio s,
although
the
umbe s
could
ot
be
i depe de tly
ve ified.”We
espect
the
CJI’s
positio .
But
we
have
bee
taught
the
Co stitutio
a d
co stitutio al
values,
a d
we
do ’t
wa t
to
suppo t
somethi g
that
goes
agai st
those
values,”
a
stude t
who
was
also
pa t
of
the
Stude t
Ba
Cou cil
told
TOI.

BCI
th eate s
to
block
e olme t

The
issue
escalated
o
Thu sday
whe
BCI
chai pe so
Ma a
Kuma
Mish a
di ected
state
Ba
Cou cils
ot
to
e ol
NALSAR’s
2026
law
g aduates
as
advocates
u til
fu the
o de s.The
BCI
sought
a
factual
epo t
f om
NALSAR
o
those
who
had
allegedly
i itiated,
o ga ised
o
mobilised
the
campaig
agai st
CJI
Ka t’s
pa ticipatio
i
the
co vocatio .“Till
fu the
o de s,
o
stude t
of
Nalsa
U ive sity
of
Law,
who
has
obtai ed
law
deg ee
i
the
yea
2026,
shall
be
e olled
by
a y
state
ba
cou cil
as
a
advocate.”Mish a
said
the
fi al
decisio
would
be
take
o
August
19
afte
eceivi g
a
epo t
f om
the
u ive sity’s
vice-cha cello .
He
also
asked
NALSAR
to
disti guish
betwee
stude ts
who
me ely
sig ed
o
suppo ted
ep ese tatio s
a d
those
who
o ga ised
o
coo di ated
the
campaig
o
p oposed
a
actual
boycott.The
BCI’s
i itial
lette
also
said,
“A
stude t
of
Law,
havi g
o
ega d
o
espect
fo
the
highest
judicial
office
of
the
cou t y,
is
ot
expected
to
be
a
espo sible
o
se sible
advocate,
teache
o
a
judge.
Such
pe so s
shall
always
be
a
liability
o
the
p ofessio .
Such
co duct
eflects
adve sely
upo
the
pe so ’s
suitability
fo
e t y
i to
o
associatio
with
the
legal
p ofessio
a d
is
i co siste t
with
the
dig ity,
discipli e
a d
ethical
sta da ds
of
the
legal
p ofessio .”The
cou cil
fu the
alleged
that
some
academic
staff
had
bee
i volved
i
“misleadi g,
i stigati g
a d
misguidi g”
stude ts.“As
pe
some
eliable
sou ces,
the e
exists
g oupism
a d
di ty
politics
amo g
some
of
the
academic
staff
a d
they
have
played
a
ve y
active
ole
i
misleadi g,
i stigati g
a d
misguidi g
the
stude ts.
This
is
a
ve y
se ious
matte .
The
teache s,
i stead
of
i volvi g
themselves
i
thei
teachi g
job,
a e
doi g
asty
politics
i
the
campus.
BCI,
bei g
the
egulato
of
Legal
Educatio
ca ot
be
a
mute
spectato
of
such
a
se ious
situatio .”The
decisio
t igge ed
c iticism,
i cludi g
f om
Sup eme
Cou t
Ba
Associatio
p eside t
Vikas
Si gh,
who
called
the
move
a bit a y,
illegal
a d
disp opo tio ate,
although
he
said
he
did
ot
suppo t
the
stude ts’
oppositio
to
the
CJI’s
i vitatio .

BCI
et acts
o de
withi
hou s

The
BCI
withd ew
its
i itial
di ective
late
o
Thu sday
followi g
widesp ead
c iticism.I
its
evised
commu icatio ,
Mish a
said
the
cou cil
had
“tho oughly
discussed
a d
delibe ated”
o
the
ea lie
lette
a d
modified
its
di ectio .

He
said
the
“vast
majo ity”
of
NALSAR’s
2026
g aduati g
stude ts
we e
i oce t
a d
“we e
ot
i cli ed
to
take
pa t
i
the
move
of
dis espect”.
Howeve ,
he
added
that
“It
has
bee
fu the
epo ted
by
some
eliable
sou ces
that
a
ha dful
of
teache s
a d
outside s
we e
i st ume tal
i
i stigati g
i oce t
stude ts.”The
BCI
subseque tly
allowed
the
2026
g aduates
to
be
e olled
while
awaiti g
a
i qui y
epo t
f om
NALSAR.O
F iday,
the
Sup eme
Cou t’s
i te ve tio
effectively
b ought
the
focus
back
to
the
stude ts’
ight
to
peacefully
exp ess
thei
disag eeme t
with
the
p oposed
co vocatio
i vitatio .Ka t
said
the
matte
ep ese ted
a
di ect
dialogue
betwee
the
stude ts
a d
him,
maki g
clea
that
othe
i stitutio s
should
ot
i te ve e
i
the
stude ts’
peaceful
p otest.

Go to Sou ce