Senior advocate and BJP-nominated Rajya Sabha member Manan Kumar Mishra is at the centre of the controversy over the Bar Council of India (BCI)'s action against the 2026 batch of the Nalsar University of Law, Hyderabad.
The controversy erupted after the BCI directed State Bar Councils not to enroll any student from Nalsar's 2026 graduating batch after some students opposed the proposed invitation to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant as the chief guest of their convocation ceremony.
Who is Manan Kumar Mishra?
Manan Kumar Mishra is a senior advocate and a Rajya Sabha member from Gopalganj district, Bihar. He completed his BSc (Honours) from Rajendra College in Chapra and later studied law at Patna Law College and earned his LLB degree.
Mishra started his law career at the Gopalganj Civil Court. He moved to the Patna High Court in 1982 and later became a senior advocate in the Supreme Court.
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He has headed the BCI since 2014 and was re-elected for a record seventh consecutive term in 2025. The BCI is the top legal regulatory body in India which looks after matters related to lawyers, their enrolment and legal education.
He contested the 2010 Bihar Assembly election on a Congress ticket. He later joined the BJP. In 2024, the BJP nominated him to the Rajya Sabha from Bihar. He was elected without anyone challenging his candidature.
What started the Nalsar row?
The controversy began when some Nalsar students objected to the university inviting CJI Surya Kant as the chief guest for its convocation. The students wrote to the university vice-chancellor, registrar and faculty.
Also Read | CJI Surya Kant Slams Bar Council Over NALSAR Students' Enrollment Freeze
Their objections came following the CJI's remarks during a hearing on police action against students at the July 20 protest march to Parliament. The BCI then asked Nalsar for a report on the students who allegedly started or organised the campaign.
The Bar then told State Bar Councils not to enroll Nalsar's entire 2026 graduating batch until further orders. Supreme Court Bar Association president Vikas Singh called the move illegal and disproportionate.
Soon, the BCI changed the decision and said that students had no role in the alleged campaign and allowed the entire 2026 batch to enroll with State Bar Councils. "No student shall be made to suffer without any fault on his part,” the BCI said.
The controversy also brought Mishra into a clash with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke criticised Mishra on social media. He asked whether it was time to demand the BCI chairman's resignation.
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