AIYAA Calls Protest in New Delhi Demanding Resignation of BCI Chairman Manan Mishra

NEW DELHI — The All India Young Advocates Association has called for a demonstration in New Delhi on Thursday to protest against Bar Council of India chairman Manan Kumar Mishra and demand his resignation over a now-withdrawn council directive targeting law students.

The protest, scheduled to take place at 10 am, follows widespread backlash against the Bar Council of India's earlier move barring graduating students of NALSAR University of Law from enrolling as advocates. Several legal figures and organisations have declared their support for the demonstration.

Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party, invited lawyers to participate in the gathering. CJP national spokesperson Saurav Das stated on social media platform X that members of the legal community would assemble to demand Mishra's resignation, noting his support for peaceful protests seeking accountability and high standards of conduct in office. Das also claimed that the Bombay Bar Association had sought Mishra's resignation.

Ratna Singh, legal affairs head of the CJP, also backed the demonstration, describing peaceful protest as legitimate in a democracy and asserting that demanding accountability from the BCI chairman is a responsibility of the legal fraternity.

The unrest stems from a controversy that began when NALSAR students wrote to the university's administration opposing a proposal to invite Chief Justice of India Surya Kant as the chief guest for their convocation.

In response, the BCI initially instructed state bar councils to withhold advocate enrolments for the entire graduating batch of NALSAR, stating that it was looking into allegations regarding a campaign against the CJI's participation. Following immediate criticism from lawyers and legal bodies, the council withdrew the directive within hours. A modified order subsequently clarified that the vast majority of students should not be penalised for the alleged actions of a few.

CJI Surya Kant later characterised the dispute as a dialogue between students and himself. The NALSAR Student Bar Council demanded a public apology from Mishra, while students and alumni of NLSIU Bengaluru also issued a joint statement opposing the presence of the BCI chairman and the CJI at their own convocation.

Mishra issued an apology on Independence Day, stating that he sincerely regretted if any of his statements or letters had hurt students' feelings, while maintaining that attending or abstaining from a convocation remains a student's personal choice.