New Delhi: The Bar Council of India (BCI), led by its chairman Manan Kumar Mishra, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP, has completely rolled back its extraordinary decision to freeze the enrolment of NALSAR University of Law’s entire 2026 graduating batch.In his third message in the space of a day (August 13-14), Mishra wrote on X after midnight, “…the 2026 batch of NALSAR, Hyderabad, had no role in any disturbance or movement, the Bar Council of India has decided to close the proceedings altogether.” “I wish the students the very best for their careers,” he wrote. He did not refer to the teachers or academic staff who, he had earlier said, were involved in “nasty” politics at NALSAR in his previous letter.His first message, a letter, had ordered state bar councils not to enrol any of the university’s new law graduates as advocates and the second was a substantial but partial rollback of that order.The third message follows the Cockroach Janta Party demanding Mishra resign over alleged irregularities and conflict of interest. Several popular accounts on X, including Supreme Court advocate Prashant Bhushan raised concerns about Mishra’s role and performance as BCI chairman.It suggests that the rollback is now full and final. Mishra wrote that it is based on the feedback of “Senior Advocates, learned members of the Bar, law students and public spirited citizens”.“Voice your opinions freely, but with respect and institutional decorum,” he wrote, addressing the students he had hit out at hours before the latest X post.Reason for bar council’s lettersAround 70 students of the National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR) University of Law at Hyderabad recently urged the university not to invite Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant as the chief guest at the convocation for the graduating batch of 2026 this month.Their letter had addressed the vice-chancellor, registrar, professors and administration, asking them to reconsider the CJI as the chief guest for their convocation.The BCI chief unexpectedly hit out at both students and teachers over this, saying those who oppose the CJI today would “indulge in strikes and boycotts” when they became lawyers, “tarnishing the image” of the legal profession.The six-page letter, shot off on Mishra’s official letterhead earlier on Thursday, cited “reliable sources” who claimed there was “groupism and dirty politics” among the academic staff at the university. Apart from this, it ordered the “deferment” of applications of recent pass-outs who may have already sought enrolment at bar councils.Mishra is a Rajya Sabha MP from Bihar.Mishra’s rollback of the order to defer the enrolment of students came the same evening, following widespread outrage on social media over the tone as well as contents of his letter. It was addressed to NALSAR University Vice-Chancellor Professor Srikrishna Deva Rao.Also read: BJP’s Responses to the Youth Movement Show the Party is on the BackfootWhy the CJI is in the eye of a stormAs The Wire previously reported, the opposition to CJI Kant’s invitation by NALSAR students is the fourth such reported cancellation after nationwide outrage over his remarks referring to certain individuals as “parasites” and “cockroaches“.The CJI’s remarks led to the birth of the Cockroach Janata Party and the nationwide movement against paper leaks. His more recent observation, asking a lawyer “not to waste court time” on videos showing police brutality against protesters on July 20, were also brought up by those voicing dissent against the invitation.The CJI was reportedly invited as the chief guest but did not participate at O.P. Jindal Global University’s Jindal Global Law School convocation in Ahmedabad on July 26. Two days later, the Justice H.R. Khanna memorial lecture with the CJI as chief guest at India International Centre in New Delhi was postponed without any stated reasons. Two days before that, the CJI was to attend the convocation at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai on August 2, the event was abruptly deferred.The students of NALSAR have expressed solidarity with protests at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi against the NEET undergraduate paper leaks. On July 17, the university’s Student Bar Council issued a statement supporting activist Sonam Wangchuk’s indefinite hunger strike. It also called for the resignation of then Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.On the other hand, Mishra wrote on July 23 on his X account that “Anti Nationals have entered so called student protests. Their sole aim is to destabilise India.”BCI’s flurry of lettersIn the second communication issued on Thursday (August 13), Mishra wrote that the council had “thorough[ly]” discussed the matter and was of the unanimous view that the “vast majority” of NALSAR’s 2026 pass-outs were “innocent” and had not intended to participate in any “move of disrespect” towards CJI Kant.“All the students will be entitled to get enrolled with the state bar councils of their choice,” he wrote, modifying the first order. “No student shall be made to suffer without any fault on his part.”This was a significant climbdown from the earlier letter in which Mishra had instructed all state bar councils not to enrol any NALSAR student who obtained a law degree in 2026 “till further orders”.The original letter had also struck out at the teachers at NALSAR, saying, “This is a very serious matter. The teachers, instead of involving themselves in their teaching job, are doing nasty politics on the campus.”The letter also directed NALSAR Vice-Chancellor Rao to furnish, “within three days”, an authenticated account of an alleged “campaign” by students regarding the invitation extended to CJI Kant. It also asked the Rao to identify those “principally instrumental” in initiating, organising, drafting, circulating, coordinating or mobilising opposition to his leading the convocation ceremonies.The university was asked to hand over the representation, petition or memorandum submitted over the issue, as well as the complete list of signatories in its official records. It wanted the social media accounts and students’ other details scanned.Also read: Treating Education Like a Law and Order or Tech Problem Won’t Fix AnythingIt asked the university to identify student-body office-bearers involved, persons who organised meetings or communicated with the media, those administering social-media groups and anyone else who “proposed or mobilised a boycott, obstruction, disruption or organised non-participation” in the convocation event.Faculty members, research scholars, alumni and outsiders were specifically mentioned as being within the scope of inquiry if they had helped initiate, draft, coordinate, advise or facilitate the campaign. NALSAR was asked to provide records of relevant student meetings and resolutions and to disclose whether university permission had been sought or granted for any protest or organised activity.The original letter also said there is a material distinction between legitimate expression and conduct involving “organised intimidation, coercion, personal vilification, disruption, obstruction or an organised call for boycott”, though it did not explain what the differences are. It even invoked the Advocates Act, 1961, and referred to the Supreme Court’s Ex-Capt Harish Uppal vs Union of India judgment concerning strikes and boycotts by advocates.What changed over a dayThe BCI’s revised position (in its second letter) said that a “handful of teachers and outsiders” may have been instrumental in “instigating” the students. However, the council would await the Vice-Chancellor’s inquiry report before deciding what further action, if any, is warranted, it said.The three-day deadline for NALSAR’s report remained intact. There was no reference to the matter being considered finally on August 19, once the Vice-Chancellor’s report had been received.The third and final letter simply says, “No further action is required.” NALSAR’s official X account is mentioned in Mishra’s post. “Official communication to follow,” he then writes, adding the Bar Council of India’s X handle. It is still unclear if the remarks on teachers and faculty and actions proposed against them will be pursued. This story will be updated when Mishra shares the official communication.