SCBA Chief Vikas Singh Condemns BCI Directive on NALSAR Law Graduates

Supreme Court Bar Association president Dr. Vikas Singh on Thursday condemned the Bar Council of India's decision to debar and withhold the enrolment of NALSAR University of Law graduates in State Bar Councils in Hyderabad.

Dr. Singh urged the Bar Council of India to immediately withdraw what he described as an unjustified directive and allow the 2026 NALSAR graduates to seek enrolment without hindrance and in accordance with the law.

In a letter addressed to Bar Council of India Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra, Dr. Singh stated that the directive was illegal, disproportionate, and fundamentally unsustainable.

He argued that the move amounts to an attempt to intimidate law students for exercising their fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression, noting that universities are meant to serve as campuses of free thought and fearless debate.

Dr. Singh maintained that students cannot be threatened with the denial of their right to enter the legal profession merely because they expressed disagreement with a constitutional authority. He said that adopting such an approach is fundamentally antithetical to the values that a law university is expected to nurture.

Furthermore, the SCBA president noted that the directive severely impacts the graduates' fundamental right under Article 19 (1) (g) to practise a profession of their choice. He stated that a blanket and indefinite restriction of this nature cannot meet the requirements of legality, reasonableness, or proportionality.