CJI Surya Kant to attend NLSIU convocation on October 17

Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant will attend the 34th annual convocation of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru on October 17.

The convocation will be held from 11 am to 1 pm at the Jnana Jyoti Auditorium on Palace Road, Bengaluru. Justice Kant, who is the Chancellor of NLSIU, will preside over the ceremony, the University said in an invitation circulated to invitees.

The convocation comes after NLSIU had earlier cancelled the ceremony scheduled for September 12 after issuing a notice announcing that no convocation would be held for the 2026 batch due to "unavoidable circumstances" and that students would be conferred their degrees in absentia.

The cancellation came amid a controversy over the proposed presence of CJI Kant and Bar Council of India (BCI) Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra at the ceremony. More than 700 current students, graduating students and alumni had objected to their participation.

The development followed a separate controversy at NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, where students had opposed the proposed presence of CJI Kant at their convocation.

The issue escalated on August 13 when the BCI directed State Bar Councils to halt the enrolment of NALSAR's graduating batch, after which the direction was withdrawn within hours.

NLSIU students and alumni subsequently expressed solidarity with the NALSAR students and criticised the BCI's action. On August 15, over 700 members of the NLSIU community signed a statement objecting to BCI chairperson Manan Kumar Mishra and CJI Surya Kant attending NLSIU's convocation.

According to reports, CJI Kant subsequently met NLSIU students to hear their concerns. Students were later asked to vote on whether they would attend a convocation at which the CJI would be present.

A majority supported the arrangement, with the understanding that Mishra would not attend.

However, the issue resurfaced after students were subsequently asked to publicly invite the CJI to the ceremony. The graduating batch did not agree to the additional demand, following which the September 12 convocation was cancelled.

NLSIU's governing bodies later approved October 17 as the new date for the convocation. Students were given the option of receiving their degrees in person at the ceremony or in absentia.