NLSIU Bengaluru Convocation Cancelled: What Triggered Row Over CJI, BCI Chief’s Presence?
NLSIU Bengaluru has cancelled its 34th Annual Convocation scheduled for September 12, citing unavoidable circumstances. Graduating students will receive degrees in absentia amid a row over BCI action against NALSAR students and Chief Justice Surya Kant's proposed presence as chief guest.
The National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru, has cancelled its 34th Annual Convocation, which was scheduled for September 12, citing unavoidable circumstances. According to a notification issued by the university on August 27, graduating students will now receive their degrees in absentia, with NLSIU stating that the decision came despite collective efforts to hold the ceremony as planned.
Convocation Called Off Days After Being Announced
NLSIU had informed students on August 3 that September 12 was being considered as the date for the annual convocation. However, it later decided that the ceremony could not go ahead due to circumstances it described only as unavoidable, without offering further details in its notification. BCI Chief Manan Kumar Mishra Apologises to Law Students After NALSAR Enrolment Row.
Alternative Process For Degree Conferral
NLSIU said it has arranged an alternative process to confer degrees, subject to approvals from its governing bodies. Graduating students will have the option to receive their certificates either by courier or by collecting them from the university campus, with the institution set to share a new form and further process details so students can select their preferred option. CJI Surya Kant Questions Bar Council of India Over Action Against NALSAR Students.
Row Over BCI Action And Chief Guest Presence
The cancellation comes after NLSIU's 2026 graduating batch and more than 120 alumni raised concerns over action taken by the Bar Council of India (BCI) against the outgoing batch of students at NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad. On August 15, NLSIU students and alumni criticised the BCI's action, which the council had subsequently withdrawn, and called for an unconditional apology to the NALSAR student and faculty community.
In the same letter, the students also sought reconsideration of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant as the chief guest at NALSAR's convocation, while expressing disapproval of his proposed presence at NLSIU's own convocation, along with that of BCI Chairman and senior advocate Manan Kumar Mishra. The BCI had already closed its proceedings against NALSAR by the time the students issued their letter, but the NLSIU students maintained that the initiation of such proceedings against students and faculty of a public university remained a matter of concern.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 27, 2026 02:58 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
