Published Aug 22, 2026 | 1:22 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 22, 2026 | 1:33 PM
BCI chairman Manan Kumar Mishra and Chief Justice of India Surya Kant.
The demand for Bar Council of India (BCI) chairman Mannan Kumar Mishra’s resignation intensified on Saturday, with BCI co-chairman and senior advocate YR Sadashiva Reddy asking him to step down, saying “the Bar deserves better”.
In a letter to Mishra, Reddy said he was writing “not as an adversary” but went on to allege that ₹150 crore in funds had been diverted during Mishra’s tenure. He also alleged nepotism in appointments, claiming that Mishra’s family members had been favoured over others.
Reddy cited Mishra’s “illegal action” against the current batch of NALSAR students, which was later withdrawn, as another reason for his demand.
His letter came a day after Mishra rejected calls for his resignation while swatting aside Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke’s post that “legal cockroaches” unite against him.
“Don’t you dare use the term legal cockroaches ever again. I am telling you this. A lawyer cannot be a cockroach. Lawyers belong to a respected class; they are a highly intelligent group,” the Bar Council chairman was quoted as saying.
Mishra, a Rajya Sabha MP, also questioned whether social media posts could force the resignation of a BCI chairman who represents 26 lakh lawyers across the country.
“Do you want to make a mockery of an institution like the Bar Council of India? Do you think you can force the resignation of the Chairman of the Bar Council of India… simply by circulating frivolous posts on social media?” he was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India.
Mishra has been facing fire on multiple fronts.
On Thursday, the Bombay Bar Association criticised Mishra’s initial action against NALSAR students and demanded his resignation, saying his subsequent apology did not amount to remorse.
Separately, Supreme Court Advocate-on-Record Deepak Prakash has filed a petition challenging Mishra’s continuation as BCI chairman for a five-year term, arguing that the BCI rules restrict the tenure to two years.
Mishra has held the post since November 9, 2014, and won his most recent election on March 2, 2025.
The immediate trigger for the calls was a circular issued by Mishra restricting state bar councils from enrolling the 2026 graduates of the National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR) after the students opposed the invitation of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant to their convocation.
Mishra and the BCI subsequently withdrew the circular.
Mishra later apologised in a letter addressed to “My Dear Young Friends” on Independence Day, saying: “If anything connected with the present controversy, any of my words, or letter, has hurt the feelings of our law students, I sincerely regret and apologise for the same.”
The apology came a day after CJI Surya Kant criticised the BCI’s intervention.
“Absolutely uncalled for. I myself was a student who was actively engaged in protests. It’s a dialogue between me and students, who are they (the BCI) to interfere?” the Chief Justice was quoted as saying in court.
The NALSAR students had objected to the institute’s decision to invite the Chief Justice amid a controversy over his reported remarks that the court did not have time to watch videos of the July 20 police action at Jantar Mantar.
From our archives:
Exclusive: What led to the Bar Council of India chief withdrawing his controversial NALSAR circular?
NALSAR students’ no to Chief Justice Surya Kant: Not disrespect, but a necessary assertion!
