Published Aug 15, 2026 | 10:19 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 15, 2026 | 10:26 PM
Manan Kumar Mishra apologised after the BCI directive drew strong criticism, including from the Supreme Court.
Synopsis: While tendering an apology, BCI Chairperson Manan Kumar Mishra appealed to the students to consider the issue fairly and in a spirit of reconciliation. He said the issue should not be allowed to acquire a political or extraneous colour through outside influence.
Bar Council of India (BCI) Chairperson Manan Kumar Mishra on Saturday, 15 August, apologised to law students two days after he had stirred a controversy by asking state bar councils not to enrol as advocates any graduates of Hyderabad-based NALSAR’s 2026 batch.
Mishra, also a BJP Rajya Sabha member, tendered the apology after the BCI directive drew strong criticism, including from the Supreme Court.
“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 BCI chief said in a letter addressed to “My Dear Young Friends” on Independence Day.
Related: What made BCI chief withdraw his controversial NALSAR circular?
Mishra, however, did not name any college or university in the letter. “There should be no hesitation in saying so,” he noted. “An expression of regret is not a matter of prestige or ego. It is simply an acknowledgement that the feelings and concerns of our students matter,” he said.
In a circular issued on Thursday, the BCI chief restricted all state bar councils from enrolling the 2026 graduates of the National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR). He issued the circular after the students opposed inviting Chief Justice of India Surya Kant to their convocation.
The BCI later withdrew the restriction.
The students objected to the institute’s plan to invite the top-most judge in protest against the Chief Justice’s reported statement that the court had no time to watch videos of the 20 July police brutality.
The police had used excessive force against students and youngsters, who took out a march to Parliament seeking the resignation of the then Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan following the NEET paper leak.
Related: NLSIU students demand BCI’s unconditional apology
Incidentally, Mishra’s apology came soon after the graduating students of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) in Bengaluru wrote an open letter in solidarity with their NALSAR counterparts.
In their letter, NLSIU students demanded an unconditional apology from the BCI to the students and faculty at NALSAR for attempting to infringe upon their fundamental right to free speech and expression.
They also opposed Mishra attending the NLSIU’s convocation without taking responsibility for his conduct.
While tendering the apology, Mishra emphasised the independence of law students.
“The young men and women studying there (leading Law Universities) today will tomorrow become Advocates, Senior Advocates, Teachers, Scholars and Judges. Some among them may one day occupy the highest positions in the legal and judicial system. That is why their decisions carry significance beyond a single event or controversy,” he said in the three-page letter.
“I, therefore, sincerely hope that the present issue will now be considered with fairness and a spirit of reconciliation. The issue should not be allowed to acquire a political or extraneous colour through outside influence,” Mishra added.
