The Bar Council of India swiftly reversed its decision to freeze the enrolment of NALSAR University of Law's 2026 graduating batch within hours of issuing the order.
The regulatory body's retreat followed a protest threat from the Cockroach Janta Party, led by founder Abhijeet Dipke and spokesperson Saurav Das.
BCI Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra initially modified the order before announcing a complete closure of the inquiry into the students' actions.
The Bar Council of India (BCI) on Thursday night withdrew its order freezing the enrolment of NALSAR University of Law's 2026 graduating batch. The swift reversal occurred roughly two hours after the initial freeze was issued.
The retreat followed a protest threat from the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). The CJP recently led a massive youth protest at Jantar Mantar against exam irregularities, which forced the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Responding to the initial freeze, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke posted on X at 7:25 PM: "What if all legal cockroaches come together?"
BCI Backs Down Completely
At 8:45 PM on Thursday, BCI chairman Manan Kumar Mishra announced the retreat. "After detailed deliberation, the @barcouncilindia has modified its earlier directions concerning @NALSAR_Official. All 2026 passed-out students of NALSAR will now be entitled to seek enrolment with the State Bar Council of their choice. The factual inquiry will continue, and further action will follow on the basis of the report. No student shall be made to suffer without any fault on his or her part," Mishra wrote on X.
Following midnight, the chairman announced a total closure of the inquiry. "After considering the representations and reactions of Senior Advocates, learned members of the Bar, law students and public spirited citizens, and being satisfied that the 2026 batch of NALSAR, Hyderabad, had no role in any disturbance or movement, the Bar Council of India has decided to close the proceedings altogether. No further action is required," he wrote.
Mishra advised students to maintain decorum. "Dissent is welcome in a democracy; public ridicule of constitutional institutions is often counterproductive," he added.
In a Friday message to Dipke and CJP spokesperson Saurav Das, Mishra told ANI news agency: "The Bar Council of India aims to protect the interests of the youth of India. I want to communicate to Abhijeet Dipke and Das (Sourav Das) that our interests are the same as theirs, to protect the rights of the students."
CJP Claims Victory
The CJP mocked the sudden U-turn by the regulatory body. CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka ridiculed the late-night reversal, posting on X: "CJP ne night out padwa diya. Beijjati hui wo alag. [CJP made them pull an all-nighter, on top of it the humiliation]"
However, the group remained sceptical of the initial modification. Before the post-midnight complete closure, CJP spokesperson Saurav Das argued the retreat was partial. "Mr. Mishra, the order has NOT been fully withdrawn. The part which seeks names of the students and orders for an 'inquiry' against them for their peaceful dissent still stands, as per your own new letter," Das wrote.
Das demanded a complete withdrawal to ensure no student faced a witch hunt. "No student at NALSAR should face any inquiry or witch hunt for their democratic dissent against the Chief Justice of India," Das said. He warned that the CJP's planned protests outside the BCI headquarters and Mishra's official residence would continue until their demands were entirely met.
Origins Of The Dispute
The controversy erupted when 70 NALSAR LLB students submitted a representation on July 23. They opposed Chief Justice of India Surya Kant's participation as chief guest at their convocation. Students from other batches later expressed solidarity with the representation.
The students' protest stemmed from remarks made by CJI Kant during a hearing on police excesses in Delhi, where he compared some unemployed youth to cockroaches. This specific comment inspired the CJP's protest identity. The movement later gained attention after protests over unemployment and other issues.
In response to the students, the initial BCI order directed state bar councils not to enrol NALSAR's 2026 graduates "till further orders". The council also demanded an authenticated report identifying the organisers, signatories and social media groups behind the campaign against the CJI, as well as the involvement of faculty members, alumni, student organisations or outsiders, Hindustan Times reported.
