HYDERABAD: Outraged Nalsar alumni responded on Friday with petitions in Supreme Court that said Bar Council of India’s now-withdrawn circular directing state bars not to enrol any 2026 batch student was “completely illegal” and asked whether BCI’s executive committee had met before issuing the circular and what process it followed.At the same time, Nalsar (National Academy of Legal Studies and Research) university graduates wrote an open letter — signed by 441 alumni — to BCI chairman Manan Kumar Mishra, saying voicing dissent was not a criminal offence in India.The petition filed in Supreme Court by Nalsar alumna Mihira Sood said the circular reflected a high degree of intolerance among those in positions of power as BCI had no jurisdiction over enrolment of advocates or to conduct inquiries into student affairs.“This is against the Constitution,” said Sood, a lawyer and women’s rights activist.The petition contended that the impugned letters violated the rights of students, faculty and alumni. Another petition, filed by Sood along with alumnus Abhishek Tewari, raised similar questions.“The directions in the impugned letter are manifestly arbitrary and the manner in which such letters came to be issued require enquiry by this court. The impugned letters constitute an unlawful intrusion into the right to dignity, right to privacy, right to reputation, and freedom of speech and expression of students, faculty members and alumni of Nalsar University,” Sood’s petition read.The BCI, by launching a fishing expedition against a legitimate expression of grievance by students on an internal university matter, created “a chilling effect on the freedom of speech and expression and the freedom of association among students of Nalsar University”, Sood said in her petition, adding that legal education “must cultivate a spirit of scientific inquiry”, which is a fundamental duty under the Constitution.It added that “this environment of open engagement” has produced some of the sharpest and most celebrated lawyers and judges from Nalsar. Meanwhile, Nalsar alumni, in an open letter condemned BCI’s approach towards students and faculty and its disregard for university autonomy.
