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NALSAR Hyderabad References BCI Enquiry Request to Executive Council
NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, has made the Bar Council of India’s (BCI) request for an inquiry report an issue of institutional authority and student conduct by referring the request to its Executive Council for handling.
The latest development comes after BCI suspended the enrolment of the 2026 batch of BA LLB (Hons) graduates and then withdrew the suspension after objections were raised amongst the students in the proposed CJI Surya Kant’s attendance as the convocation chief guest at the university.
NALSAR has stated it will examine if conducting the inquiry as sought by the BCI would fall under the constitutional exercise of the powers of the university and consider if it is allowable as per the University regulations. The matter will thus be handled by the Executive Council.
What Did the BCI Ask NALSAR to Investigate?
The inquiry request by the BCI stated that it was looking for a factual report on the individuals who initiated, drafted, circulated, coordinated, or mobilised the campaign relating to the proposed CJI visit. The request seemed to aim at finding out about the multiple meetings, social media activities, media outreach, and efforts to organise a boycott, obstruct, disrupt or refrain from participating in the convocation. The BCI made a clear differentiation between students who either supported a representation or signed it, and the organisers or the people who coordinated the campaign.
That distinction was very important after the BCI admitted that the great majority of the 2026 batch of NALSAR graduates were not involved, and thus should not be affected by this campaign.
Importance of The Executive Council
The Executive Council is unlike other administrative councils at NALSAR. NALSAR calls it their chief executive body. Its responsibilities extend to carrying out the duties necessary for the administration of the university. It is made up of the Vice Chancellor, a Justice of the Supreme Court of India (former), a representative from the Bar Council of India and the chairperson of the Bar Council of Telangana, and more senior officials.
By this decision, NALSAR has not only accepted the request for the BCI inquiry, but also has delegated its governing body to find out if it has the necessary legal and institutional frame to carry out the inquiry. After the process is completed, NALSAR will communicate its findings to the BCI. There is no deadline for it.
BCI Says Proceedings Have Closed
On August 14, the situation was different. Manan Kumar Mishra, BCI chairperson, said the council decided to close all proceedings against the NALSAR 2026 batch, after concluding that the graduating students had no part in any of the disturbances or movements related to the controversy. He stated that NALSAR was not required to take any further actions, but formal communication was still pending at the time of publication.
This is a strange situation where the BCI and the Executive Council are dealing with the inquiry request and the BCI has, in a way, closed the proceedings.
Supreme Court Joins the Fight over NALSAR-BCI
While students protest, Supreme Court judges are speaking too. On August 14, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant’s bench expressed outrage over the BCI’s harassment of students and recognised students’ rights to protest peacefully.
The Supreme Court has issued notice to the BCI and has directed them to not take any coercive measures to punish the NALSAR students and faculty till the hearing is over. The case will come up for hearing again.
What Happens Next?
With the BCI’s withdrawal of the ban, NALSAR students can breathe a sigh of relief, but the larger institutional concerns remain. What the Executive Council did, the statement by the BCI Chairman, the Supreme Court’s intervention, and the withdrawal of the BCI ban must all be analysed together as they all happened in quick succession.
Meanwhile, the graduating students of NALSAR can keep preparing to become advocates, even as the legal and constitutional disputes related to the University’s role in the proposed inquiry also keep playing out.
Final thoughts
The issue surrounding the NALSAR-BCI conflict goes far beyond a mere issue of a convocation invitation. Currently, NALSAR seeks guidance from its Executive Council on whether the BCI’s requested inquiry would fall within the framework of the Constitution of the University.
In these circumstances, the matter became more complex when the BCI withdrew the blanket ban on the enrollment of NALSAR’s 2026 graduates, but continued to seek an inquiry. The Supreme Court has now intervened in the matter and has issued notice to the BCI and directed that no coercive actions would be taken against students or members of faculty at NALSAR, at the behest of the BCI or any other member of State Bar Council.
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