The National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru, will now hold its 34th Convocation ceremony on October 17, 2026, instead of the earlier scheduled date of September 12. Earlier, the event was cancelled after students opposed the presence of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, who is also the university’s Chancellor, and Bar Council of India (BCI) Chairperson Manan Kumar Mishra. The university, however, had cited “unavoidable circumstances” for the postponement of the ceremony.
The new date was decided during a meeting of the Executive Council and General Council chaired by the CJI, the university notified students through an official communication. The university said students can receive their degrees either in person or in absentia, for which an application form will be released.
Students who choose the in-absentia option while submitting the form will be allowed to receive their degrees after October 17. Details regarding the collection of degrees will be announced separately through a notification.
A total of 165 graduating students from the Class of 2026, 409 current students and 128 alumni had signed a statement condemning the then-withdrawn BCI directive asking state bar councils not to enrol the 2026 graduating batch of NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, after students objected to the proposed presence of the CJI at their convocation following remarks he made on the NEET paper leak protests and the police response to them.
“We are aware that the BCI has closed all proceedings against NALSAR. However, the fact that such unconstitutional and illegal “proceedings” can be initiated by a statutory body against students and faculty members of a public university in the first place does not alter the nature or the larger impact of such actions or dilute the responsibility of the Chairman and the BCI,” the statement read.
BCI Chairperson Manan Kumar Mishra, following concerns raised by NALSAR students over the CJI’s presence, had asked the state bar councils not to enrol the graduating batch. The BCI withdrew the directive within a few hours after it was challenged in the Supreme Court.
The National Law School of India University (NLSIU) Bengaluru offers a wide range of undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral, and hybrid programs.
