Lawyers stage protest outside BCI office, seek chairman’s resignation amid NALSAR row

Days after BCI chairman Manan Kumar Mishra apologised to law students amid the enrolment ban controversy involving NALSAR, the spotlight has turned on him again, with several lawyers staging a protest outside the Bar Council of India (BCI) office in the Capital on Thursday (August 20, 2026), demanding his resignation.

The demonstration, called by the All India Young Advocates Association, saw the participation of more than 200 lawyers during the day.

The Bombay Bar Association had also, in a statement issued on August 18, criticised Mishra’s handling of the NALSAR episode, describing his subsequent apology as belated. The association said he ought to have already resigned from the post.

“This is an initiative by advocates for advocates,” Advocate Umesh Kumar told The Hindu. He said an “unconditional demand” of the protesters was the resignation of Mr. Mishra from his post.

Questioning Mr. Mishra’s 14-year tenure as chairman, Mr. Kumar said the protesters also wanted reforms in the BCI’s election mechanism.

“He has been in his chair for the last 14 years. He has been winning the election only because of the indirect election system. We also want reform in the BCI election mechanism. We want direct election of the chairman,” he said.

The protesters also raised a range of concerns relating to the welfare of advocates, including the long-pending demand for an Advocates Protection Act, insurance cover for lawyers, stipends for young advocates and regular inspection of law colleges.

Mr. Kumar also alleged that inspection reports of law colleges were not being regularly updated on the BCI website.

The protesters said the sit-in would continue until their demands were addressed.

“We have genuine grievances which should be addressed,” Mr. Kumar said.

Another protester, advocate Satvik Sharma, said the demonstration began around 10 a.m. and that the protesters had been in discussions with BCI members over their demands.

“The legal system is deteriorating day by day. Look at the chambers-to-lawyers ratio. The chairman himself has said that 30-40% of advocates are fake. So what are they doing about it?” Mr. Sharma said. “For a very long time, we have not seen any good results in our field, including in the welfare of advocates,” he said.

“There is a need for reform,” Mr. Sharma added.