BCI Co-Chairperson demands Manan Mishra’s resignation, questions prolonged tenure amid NALSAR row

Pressure on reigning Bar Council of India (BCI) Chairperson Manan Kumar Mishra escalated on Saturday (August 22, 2026), after a senior BCI member and its Co-Chairperson Y.R. Sadasiva Reddy demanded his resignation and called for an independent probe into a series of allegations concerning the functioning of the statutory body.

The development came hours before a press conference proposed by the BCI was scheduled to be held at its office in New Delhi. The council, however, postponed the August 22 press conference, citing the possibility of a large gathering of advocates and concerns over the availability of space and arrangements for the media. The revised date has been indicated as August 24.

Mr. Mishra, who has helmed the post of Chairman of the Council for over a decade, is also facing a fresh petition filed on Friday (August 21, 2026) before the Supreme Court questioning his prolonged tenure.

The ongoing controversy surrounding the BCI chairman stems from the Council’s August 13 circular, directing State Bar Councils not to enrol graduates of NALSAR’s 2026 batch, following objections by students to the participation of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant at their convocation. The directive was withdrawn within hours after an outcry from the legal fraternity. Mr. Mishra subsequently apologised to the students.

However, the apology did little to quell criticism. The Bombay Bar Association on August 18 criticised the handling of the episode and described the apology as “belated”, while saying that Mr. Mishra ought to have already resigned.

Earlier on Thursday (August 20, 2026), more than 200 lawyers gathered outside the BCI office under the banner of the All India Young Advocates Association, raising demands including reforms in the BCI’s election mechanism and greater accountability in its functioning.

Co-chairperson’s letter raises questions over appointments within BCI

On Saturday (August 22, 2026), Mr. Reddy called upon Mr. Mishra to resign and sought an independent examination of a range of issues relating to the functioning and financial administration of the council.

The letter raises questions over appointments within the BCI establishment, with Mr. Reddy alleging that a “striking proportion of the staff are persons connected to you (Mr. Mishra) personally, several of them being members of, or related to, your own family”.

Mr. Reddy also highlighted how the Bar Council of India Trust was rendered defunct and Council’s funds being diverted to a newly created BCI Trust PEARL-FIRST. Mr. Reddy further alleged of contributions being demanded from law colleges seeking approval or renewal of approval.

He said, “persistent and credible complaints have reached me, from more than one State, that managements of new law colleges approaching the Bar Council of India for approval, and managements of existing colleges approaching it for renewal, are being required to make “contributions” to the said Trust, in amounts ranging from ₹25 lakhs to ₹50 lakhs to ₹1 crore.”

Mr. Reddy also questioned Mr. Mishra’s prolonged occupancy of the chairmanship and argued for greater rotation and representation in the leadership of the apex regulatory body for the legal profession.

“You (Mr Mishra) have held that office continuously since 2012, and were returned a further consecutive term in 2025. This is without precedent. When elections to the office fall due, the arrangements are so managed that the outcome is a foregone conclusion. An elected office that has one occupant for fourteen years has ceased, in any real sense, to be an elected office.”