Top Law College Cancels Convocation Amid Row Over Chief Justice Invite

National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru, has cancelled its 34th annual convocation for the graduating batch of 2026, citing unavoidable circumstances.

The decision comes weeks after the university had informed students that the convocation would be held on September 12. In a notice issued on August 27, NLSIU said all graduating students would instead be conferred their degrees in absentia, subject to approval from the university's governing bodies.

Students will have the option of receiving their certificates by courier or collecting them from the campus. The university said a form and further instructions would be shared with graduating students.

The cancellation comes amid growing opposition from NLSIU students and alumni to the proposed participation of Bar Council of India (BCI) Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra and Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant at the convocation

More than 700 students and alumni had objected to their attendance and demanded an unconditional apology from the BCI to the student and faculty community of NALSAR University of Law.

The development follows a controversy involving the BCI's August 13 decision to temporarily halt the enrolment of NALSAR's 2026 graduating batch over a campaign opposing CJI Surya Kant's proposed presence at its convocation. The BCI later withdrew the decision within hours.

NLSIU students and alumni had described the BCI's actions as an attack on free speech and called its directive to identify students and faculty involved in the campaign "nothing less than a witch-hunt."

According to sources, Chief Justice Surya Kant had also held a 90-minute interaction with NLSIU students to understand their concerns.

The statement opposing the BCI's actions was signed by 165 graduating students, 409 current students and 128 alumni.