NLSIU Bengaluru cancels convocation amid row over CJI Surya Kant’s proposed presence

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Aug 27, 2026: The National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru, has cancelled its 34th annual convocation for the graduating batch of 2026, weeks after students and alumni raised objections to the proposed participation of Bar Council of India (BCI) chairman Manan Kumar Mishra and Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant.

The university had informed graduating students on August 3 that the convocation would be held on September 12. However, in a notice issued on August 27, the NLSIU said the ceremony would no longer be held, citing "unavoidable circumstances".

The university said graduating students would instead receive their degrees in absentia, subject to approval from its governing bodies.

NLSIU says degrees will be awarded in absentia

In its latest notice, the university said it had made efforts to hold the annual ceremony but could not proceed with it.

"Despite our collective best efforts, due to unavoidable circumstances, we are unable to hold the 34th Annual Convocation. All graduating students will be conferred their degrees in absentia after due approvals by the Governing Bodies," the notice said.

Students will have the option of receiving their certificates by courier or collecting them from the campus. The NLSIU said it would issue a form and share the process with graduating students to allow them to select their preferred option.

What happened so far

The cancellation comes amid a wider controversy involving NALSAR University of Law, and the proposed attendance of BCI chairman Manan Kumar Mishra and CJI Surya Kant at university convocations.

More than 700 NLSIU students and alumni signed a joint statement opposing the proposed attendance of the two at the NLSIU’s convocation. The statement was signed by 165 graduating students, 409 current students and 128 alumni. They also demanded an unconditional apology from the BCI to NALSAR’s students and faculty.

The objections followed the BCI’s action against NALSAR’s graduating batch on August 13. The BCI had initially directed all State Bar Councils not to enrol NALSAR’s 2026 graduating batch as advocates until further orders, after students and faculty objected to Surya Kant’s proposed presence at the convocation. The decision was withdrawn within hours.

The NLSIU statement criticised the BCI’s actions and described its directive to identify students and faculty involved in the campaign as a "witch-hunt". It also questioned the participation of officials whom students said had expressed hostility towards them, calling it "offensive, humiliating, and a mockery of students and their struggles".

Amid the controversy, Surya Kant also held a roughly 90-minute interaction with NLSIU students to hear their concerns, according to sources.