NLSIU Sets October 17 Convocation, With CJI Surya Kant Slated to Preside

NLSIU will hold its 34th Annual Convocation on October 17, with CJI Surya Kant slated to preside as Chancellor.

What Happened

The National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru, will hold its 34th Annual Convocation on October 17, 2026, after the ceremony originally scheduled for September 12 was cancelled.

Bar and Bench reported on October 7 that Chief Justice of India Surya Kant will attend the ceremony and preside over it as NLSIU’s Chancellor, according to the university’s invitation circulated to invitees. The report attributes the details of his attendance to that invitation.

The new date was approved on September 9 at the 107th meeting of the Executive Council and the 40th meeting of the General Council. Both governing bodies were chaired by the Chief Justice of India in his capacity as Chancellor. The councils decided that graduating students would formally receive their degrees on October 17, either in person or in absentia.

According to Bar and Bench, the ceremony is scheduled from 11 am to 1 pm at the Jnana Jyoti Auditorium on Palace Road, Bengaluru. The ceremony has not yet taken place.

Background & Context

The October date follows a sequence of developments involving NLSIU and the earlier convocation controversy at NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad.

On August 13, 2026, the Bar Council of India directed State Bar Councils to halt the enrolment of NALSAR’s graduating batch. The direction was withdrawn within hours. On August 14, a bench led by CJI Surya Kant questioned the BCI over the direction, with the bench stating that students have a right to protest.

The developments at NALSAR were followed by a statement from more than 700 members of the NLSIU community on August 15. The signatories included graduating students, current students and alumni, and the statement expressed solidarity with NALSAR students while objecting to the participation of CJI Surya Kant and BCI Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra at NLSIU’s convocation. Bar and Bench reported that the statement carried 165 graduating-student, 409 current-student and 128 alumni signatures.

CJI Surya Kant subsequently met NLSIU students to understand their concerns. Bar and Bench later reported that the batches were asked to vote on whether they would attend a convocation with the CJI present without protest or disruption. According to that report, a majority supported the arrangement on the understanding that Mishra would not attend.

On August 25, students were told that they would also need to issue a public statement inviting the CJI. The graduating batch did not agree to that additional requirement, according to the account reported by Bar and Bench.

NLSIU subsequently cancelled the September 12 ceremony. In its August 27 communication, the university cited “unavoidable circumstances” and said graduating students would receive their degrees in absentia. LiveLaw independently reported the cancellation and the university’s stated reason.

Key Details

• Forum/Institution: National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru.
• Event: 34th Annual Convocation.
• Date: October 17, 2026.
• Time and Venue: 11 am to 1 pm at the Jnana Jyoti Auditorium, Palace Road, Bengaluru, according to Bar and Bench’s report of the university invitation.
• Presiding: CJI Surya Kant, as Chancellor, according to the invitation as reported by Bar and Bench.
• Governing bodies: The Executive Council’s 107th meeting and the General Council’s 40th meeting approved the new date on September 9.
• Original date: September 12, 2026, which was cancelled.
• Degree options: Graduating students can receive their degrees in person at the ceremony or in absentia.
• Current status: The October 17 convocation is scheduled and has not yet taken place.

Why It Matters

For law students, the development is notable because it concerns the relationship between an NLU, its Chancellor and its graduating students, while also showing how an ordinarily ceremonial university event became connected to a wider institutional dispute involving the BCI and another law university.

The Chancellor’s role is also relevant to understanding how the new date was fixed. CJI Surya Kant chaired the NLSIU Executive Council and General Council meetings at which the October 17 date was approved. The decision therefore sits within the university’s formal governing structure rather than being presented simply as an event-management change.

For graduating students, the more immediate development is practical. The degree-conferral process has been provided for every student, with the option of attending in person or receiving the degree in absentia.

At the same time, the available reporting does not establish that every issue raised during the earlier dispute has been resolved to all sides’ satisfaction. The present development is more limited: NLSIU has scheduled the convocation for October 17, and Bar and Bench has reported, on the basis of the university’s invitation, that the CJI is slated to attend and preside.

Reactions

In their August 15 statement, NLSIU students and alumni expressed opposition to the proposed participation of the CJI and BCI Chairman, while also expressing solidarity with NALSAR students. The statement said they “express our strong disapproval of Manan Kumar Mishra attending the convocation of NLSIU” and raised concerns about his proposed participation.

CJI Surya Kant, in the proceedings reported on August 14, characterised the matter as one involving dialogue between the students and him. A bench led by him also stated that students have a right to protest.

The NLSIU Alumni Association Governing Board later said the October 17 decision had been taken after considering the larger interests, aspirations and legitimate expectations of the graduating students, according to The News Minute.

Closing

NLSIU’s 34th Annual Convocation is now scheduled for October 17, replacing the cancelled September 12 ceremony. The university’s governing bodies approved the new date on September 9, while Bar and Bench has since reported that CJI Surya Kant is slated to attend and preside as Chancellor, based on the university’s invitation.

The ceremony will provide the 2026 graduating batch with an in-person degree-conferral option, while students who do not attend can receive their degrees in absentia. Whether the October 17 event proceeds as currently scheduled remains a matter for the date itself.