E-Paper
CJI Surya Kant set to attend NLSIU convocation weeks after row over proposed presence: Report
Veteran theatre and film personality Arundhati Nag will be the Chief Guest and deliver the Convocation Address.
Prefer HTon Google
Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant will attend the 34th annual convocation of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru, on October 17. CJI Kant will preside over the ceremony as the university's Chancellor, said a LiveLaw report.
Veteran theatre and film personality Arundhati Nag will be the Chief Guest and deliver the Convocation Address.
The convocation comes after NLSIU had earlier cancelled the ceremony scheduled for September 12, announcing that no convocation would be held for the 2026 batch due to “unavoidable circumstances”. The university had said the students would instead be conferred their degrees in absentia.
Students of NLSIU had objected to Bar Council of India (BCI) Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra and CJI Kant attending the university's convocation and had also demanded an unconditional apology from BCI to the student and faculty community of the National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR), University of Law, Hyderabad. Following the controversy, the university cancelled the convocation ceremony for the 2026 graduating batch.
Also Read | CJI Surya Kant says SC will soon decide on plea to recall CEC law order
The controversy stems from NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, where students had opposed the proposed presence of CJI Kant at their convocation. The issue escalated on August 13 when the BCI directed State Bar Councils to halt the enrolment of NALSAR's graduating batch, although the directive was withdrawn within hours. Following the episode, NLSIU students and alumni expressed solidarity with the NALSAR students and criticised the BCI's action.
According to a report by Bar & Bench, Justice Kant met NLSIU students to hear their concerns. Students were later asked to vote on attending a convocation at which Kant would be present, with a majority supporting the arrangement on the understanding that Mishra would not attend.
The issue reportedly resurfaced after students were asked to publicly invite Kant to the ceremony, a demand the graduating batch did not agree to. The September 12 convocation was subsequently cancelled.
NLSIU's governing bodies later approved October 17 as the new date, with students allowed to receive their degrees either in person or in absentia.
The convocation will reportedly be held from 11 am to 1 pm at the Jnana Jyoti Auditorium on Palace Road in Bengaluru.
