105 NLSIU students refuse to take certificate from CJI Surya Kant, skip convocation ceremony
Suryakant (Photo: The New Indian Express)
Bengaluru: As many as 105 graduates of the 2026 batch of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) remained absent from the university’s 34th convocation held at Jnanajyoti Hall in Bengaluru on Saturday. The graduates received their certificates in absentia.
The number marks a sharp increase from 17 graduates who reportedly stayed away from the convocation in 2025.
The university had temporarily cancelled this year’s convocation after a large number of students from the batch and alumni submitted a memorandum objecting to Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant presiding over the ceremony.
The university’s board had decided on October 7 to invite the CJI to preside over the event. Official correspondence also confirmed that actor Arundhati Nag would be invited to the ceremony.
The controversy over the invitation prompted objections from students and alumni, eventually leading to the temporary cancellation of the event before the convocation was held on Saturday.
A similar controversy had emerged at the National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR) in Hyderabad, where graduates and alumni objected to the invitation extended to the CJI for the university’s convocation.
The issue was followed by a directive from the Bar Council of India (BCI) asking state Bar Councils not to enrol NALSAR’s 2026 graduates as advocates.
The BCI later withdrew the directive after the Supreme Court intervened, observing that the council had no authority to take disciplinary action against law students.