Lawyers Protest Demand Resignation of BCI Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra

More than 200 lawyers and members of the All India Young Advocates Association protested outside the Bar Council of India headquarters in New Delhi on August 20, 2026. The demonstrators demanded the resignation of Manan Kumar Mishra, the BCI Chairman and Rajya Sabha MP, following a dispute involving students at NALSAR University of Law.

The controversy began when the BCI ordered a freeze on the enrollment of the entire 2026 graduating batch from NALSAR after students opposed the invitation of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant as a convocation guest. While the BCI withdrew the order within hours and Mishra issued a formal apology on August 15, the Bombay Bar Association rejected the apology as a belated attempt to "assuage the situation" and lacking true remorse.

Chief Justice Surya Kant criticized the BCI's intervention, stating the council had "no business" obstructing the students' right to peaceful protest and characterizing the matter as a "dialogue between students and me."

Supported by the Cockroach Janta Party, protesters expanded their demands to include broader systemic reforms. They cited Mishra's 14-year tenure, the lack of advocate welfare schemes such as insurance and stipends, and the proliferation of fake law degrees as grounds for his removal. Protesters also called for reforms to the BCI's indirect election mechanism and opposed proposed registration fee hikes.