New Delhi: The graduating students of India’s first law university, the National Law School of India University or NLSIU, Bengaluru, have been joined by both current students and alumni, condemning the recent actions of the Bar Council of India (BCI) and its chairman, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Rajya Sabha member Manan Mishra and expressed solidarity with the students and faculty at National Academy of Legal Studies and Research or NALSAR. They have demanded that the BCI “unconditionally apologises to the student and faculty community at NALSAR for attempting to infringe their fundamental right to free speech and expression”.Also read: Bar Council Chief Sends His Congratulations to NALSAR Students He ‘Banned’ Over CJI RowThe statement has been signed by NLSIU’s graduating class of 2026, a total of 165 students (across BALLB (Hons), LLB (Hons), MPP, and LLM programmes). It also includes current students of NLSIU, 409 in total (across BA (Hons), BALLB (Hons), LLB (Hons), MPP, LLM, and PhD programmes). The alumni of NLSIU, a total of 128 signatories (across BALLB (Hons), LLB (Hons), MPP, and LLM programmes) have stepped up and signed the statement. Far from going away, the BCI initiated controversy is becoming a big crisis for the council and also for all those who are attempting to defend its chairman, Mishra. Despite attempts by Mishra to backtrack and wriggle out after his initial letter calling for a boycott of NALSAR students for opposing Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant attending their convocation, the prestigious law institute in Bengaluru joining the issue is making it tougher for Mishra to continue in his position as chair of the council.The statement says that as “at no point, even after the recall of the ban on enrolment and the inquiry order, has the BCI acknowledged the arbitrary and illegal nature of its actions. Hence, we issue this statement to set the record straight and prevent such events from happening in the future.” They write that the “BCI’s actions are ultra vires The Advocates Act, 1961.”The statements issued by BCI, constitute “a direct attack on the fundamental right to free speech and expression guaranteed by Article 19(1)(a) of the constitution.” They invoke what they have been taught in the portals of their institution,”We, the students of NLSIU, have seen the words “Where the Mind is Without Fear” before entering our classrooms every day. We believe that the immortal words of Tagore reflect the ethos of all law universities and that students, faculty, and the administration must act and be encouraged to act according to their conscience and constitutional values, without fear.”A screengrab of the statement released by NLSUI graduating students, existing students and alumni. Photo by arrangement.They go onto say, “By labelling the constitutionally guaranteed student expression of free speech as “dirty” and “nasty politics” and a “serious situation” of “obstruction” and “disruption,” the BCI has sent an unabashed threat against students and faculty members, a modus operandi that we have seen play out over and over again across universities in the country.”They have castigated the threatening “language used in the second letter, claiming that “innocent” students have been “misled” and “instigated” by “outsiders” is patronising, dishonest, and an insidious attempt to isolate certain students and faculty members. To be absolutely clear, we write this letter of our own volition and not under the influence of any amorphous “outsiders”.”They have made four points at the end of their statement:Demand that the BCI unconditionally apologises to the student and faculty community at NALSAR for attempting to infringe their fundamental right to free speech and expression; Call upon the BCI to explain the protocol for the use of the BCI’s official letterhead by the chairperson; Express our strong disapproval about Mr Manan Kumar Mishra attending the convocation of NLSIU without taking responsibility for his conduct; Stand in solidarity with NALSAR in their request to reconsider the choice of the CJI as chief guest for their convocation and express our strong disapproval of the CJI attending the convocation of NLSIU for the same reasons.It was on May 15, 2026, that the CJI while hearing a case, had compared certain individuals with fraudulent degrees to “cockroaches” who become social media or RTI activists to attack the system.The CJI’s comment inspired the satirical online movement “Cockroach Janta Party” (CJP), which then became the lightening rod for the youth protests in Delhi culminating in the forced resignation of Union education minister, Dharmendra Pradhan. In an interview with Doordarshan News, the CJI recently said “My comment was misquoted and misused. What was not said is presented as though it was said. This is extremely unfortunate. Particularly, it is a major malicious attempt to mislead the youth of the country.”He had clarified a day after his remarks involving cockroaches and parasites and said he intended it for only those with fraudulent degrees and not all unemployed youth.