ReportedCOURTS

Supreme Court: BCI Cannot Discipline Law Students

Last updated 5 Oct, 19:36 IST

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SOURCEHindustan Times · The Hindu

WHAT WE KNOW

The Supreme Court declared that the Bar Council of India has no jurisdiction or power to initiate any disciplinary or punitive action against law students, Hindustan Times and The Hindu reported.¹² The court made clear the BCI has no statutory power to discipline students pursuing legal education, and that its disciplinary powers under the Advocates Act, 1961, are limited only to registered advocates, the outlets reported.¹² The court declared the letters it had issued to be obsolete, and BCI chairperson Manan Kumar Mishra said the letters to NALSAR and State Bar Councils were withdrawn immediately.¹²

TIMELINE

Undated

A second, independent outlet carries it

Hindustan Times · Outlet · now Reported

Undated

First reported

The Hindu · Outlet

Full storyline

WHERE SOURCES DISAGREE

1 POINT OF DIFFERENCEHindustan Times gives a different account from other reports. The story above sets out what each reports; it stays Disputed until a primary document settles it.

NOT YET CONFIRMED

Reported in coverage, but we could not match these to a source document. They are not part of the story above.

The bench, also comprising justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, held that the Advocates Act, 1961, under which the BCI is constituted, did not confer on it either an express or implied power to take disciplinary action against students.
The bench declared the BCI’s communication of August 13 and all subsequent modified communications against the NALSAR students to have been issued without jurisdiction.
The BCI had initially directed all state bar councils not to enrol the 2026 NALSAR graduates till further orders and sought an authenticated report from the university identifying students who had initiated, organised or coordinated the campaign.

SOURCES

Hindustan Times

Outlet · Undated

The Hindu

Outlet · Undated

Cite the source, not this page. Verification states are editorial judgements at a point in time, not certifications.

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