It’s not every day you see a Chief Justice of India defending the very people who were protesting against him. But that’s exactly what happened this week when the Supreme Court stepped in to stop the Bar Council of India (BCI) from derailing the careers of hundreds of law students.
The whole thing started at NALSAR University of Law in Hyderabad. A group of students wasn't happy about CJI Surya Kant being invited as the chief guest for their convocation. They wrote a letter to the university citing past remarks by the CJI—specifically one where he reportedly compared unemployed youth to cockroaches—and asked the administration to reconsider the invite.
The Bar Council of India reacted fast and hard. In an evening circular that sent shockwaves through the legal community, the BCI ordered a freeze on the enrollment of the entire 2026 graduating class. For about 90 minutes, over 400 students who had just spent five years studying law were told they couldn't actually practice it. The BCI called the protest "dirty politics" and demanded a list of every student and faculty member involved in the campaign.
But when the matter reached the Supreme Court, the CJI himself shut the BCI down.
"Who are they to unnecessarily raise an issue?" CJI Surya Kant asked during the hearing. He didn't just stop the BCI; he rebuked them, calling their interference "absolutely uncalled for." In a rare moment of judicial grace, he pointed out that the students have a lawful, peaceful right to voice their dissent. "The students have written a letter to me, and it is between me and the students," he said. "There is a dialogue between us."
The Supreme Court has now issued an interim order staying any punitive action against the students or faculty. The BCI, facing a massive backlash from senior advocates and the public, has since withdrawn its circular and dropped the inquiry.
It’s a bizarre turn of events. A regulatory body tried to act as the "thought police" for the judiciary, only for the judiciary to tell them to back off and let the students speak. For the NALSAR class of 2026, it was a hell of a first lesson in constitutional law—delivered by the very man they didn't want at their graduation.
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