Three lawyers’ collectives, with over 700 members across the country, on Sunday demanded the resignation of Bar Council of India (BCI) Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra following the NALSAR controversy.

The lawyers said if Mishra does not resign, other members of the Bar Council should invoke a no-confidence motion against him.

This comes a day after Mishra apologised to the law students – after first issuing a directive barring 2026 graduates of the Hyderabad-based university from enrolment with state bar councils, and later withdrawing the order.

All India Lawyers Association for Justice, National Alliance for Justice Accountability and Rights, and Queer Lawyers Association, which, according to their leaders, have over 700 members, have endorsed a letter to Mishra, which demands his resignation.

A press statement released by the collective read, “In light of the deeply disturbing and embarrassing episode between BCI Chair and NALSAR students, we, as members of the legal fraternity, are deeply ashamed that the statutory institution that governs us is led by Mr Manan Kumar Mishra — a man so prone to arbitrariness that he frequently fails in upholding the interests and integrity of the Bar, in his pursuit of powers that be.”

The collective further argued, “The independence, integrity and autonomy of the legal profession is critical for a robust democracy…. Our ancestors in the Bar have made immense contributions to our great nation’s struggle for freedom from British Colonialism. This struggle was made possible only by great courage, integrity and capacity for protest against what people felt was unjust. We are concerned that there is an immense decline in this capacity today, given such weak leadership.”

‘Time to raise the bar’

The lawyers said, “We have written to Mishra, expressing our discontent with his actions and demanding that he resign forthwith; failing which, we will soon be writing to the other members of the Bar Council of India to pass a resolution of no-confidence against him. It is time to raise the bar for the Indian Bar”.

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In their letter to Mishra, the lawyers wrote, “We further call upon the members of the Bar Council of India and the State Bar Councils to insist upon, ‘a full institutional review of the legal authority relied upon’ for releasing the letters which had first asked state bar councils not to enroll students of NALSAR passing out batch of 2026 and later asked for an inquiry into NALSAR students’ decision to oppose the presence of Chief Justice of India at their convocation.”

What is the controversy

Last week, a section of students at the NALSAR University of Law had opposed having CJI Surya Kant as the chief guest at their upcoming convocation, citing his recent comments with regard to a petition against alleged police excesses during the NEET protests last month.

On Thursday evening, Mishra, a senior advocate, issued a directive, barring the 2026 graduating batch of the university from enrolling with state Bar councils and seeking an inquiry against them. A few hours later, the BCI published a second letter stating that “after detailed deliberation, the BCI has modified its earlier directions”, withdrawing the bar on enrolment.

On Friday, CJI Kant rebuked the BCI for the directive, stating that the students “have the right to protest”. The CJI said, “It’s a dialogue between students and me. Who are they (BCI) to unnecessarily raise an issue? This is totally uncalled for.”

A day later, Mishra apologised to the students.