CJI Surya Kant says he never accepted NALSAR invite

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant has said he never consented to being chief guest at NALSAR University of Law’s upcoming convocation, ending days of speculation over whether he would attend the Hyderabad law school’s ceremony amid student opposition to his presence.

“The question of me attending the convocation does not arise,” Kant was quoted by the Times of India, adding that he had not accepted the university’s invitation in the first place.

NALSAR had confirmed four days earlier that it had, as per tradition, invited the CJI to be chief guest at the convocation, likely to be held towards the end of August or in September. Around 400 of the university’s roughly 1,400 students had objected to his presence, citing remarks he made while hearing petitions linked to a July 20 students’ march to Parliament and alleged police excesses during it.

The row over Kant’s attendance escalated after Bar Council of India chairman Manan Kumar Mishra, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP, directed state bar councils not to enrol NALSAR’s 2026 graduates. Mishra later withdrew the directive and apologised.

Kant had criticised the BCI’s move on August 14, calling it “totally uncalled for” and saying students had the right to protest if they had a cause to. He said the BCI was “unnecessarily taking action” and that the matter was essentially one for dialogue between the students and himself.