HYDERABAD: Around 450 students of NALSAR University of Law, including members of the outgoing LLB and LLM batches, have written to the university administration opposing a proposal to invite Chief Justice of India Surya Kant as chief guest for the upcoming convocation.
The students have written to the Vice-Chancellor, Registrar and professors, asking the university to reconsider the proposed invitation. Their objection is linked to the CJI's remarks during Supreme Court proceedings concerning alleged police excesses against protesters at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on July 20.
The students said the issue was particularly important to them as law students, arguing that the convocation should reflect the university's commitment to constitutional rights, access to justice and reasoned engagement with grievances.
"A convocation is meant to be a moment where the University's own values, including a commitment to constitutional rights, access to justice, and reasoned engagement with grievances, are visibly reflected in the choices it makes," the students said in their communication.
They added that receiving their degrees from a dignitary whose recent public conduct, as reported, appeared dismissive of allegations of police brutality against protesters "sits uncomfortably with what we have been taught to value during our time at NALSAR."
The students have asked the university to consult the graduating batch before making a final decision or extending an invitation. The university has not publicly responded to the students' communication so far. Reports also indicate that the university has not yet formally announced the convocation date or confirmed the chief guest.
The protest and the court proceedings
The students' objection follows the events surrounding the July 20 'Chalo Sansad' protest at Jantar Mantar, organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). The protesters raised demands concerning the NEET-UG examination, alleged irregularities in its conduct and reforms to the National Testing Agency (NTA), among other issues.
On the same day, several NALSAR students observed a one-meal fast in solidarity with protesters and those participating in the wider education-related agitation.
The protest later became a legal issue after allegations of police excesses against demonstrators. A matter was mentioned before a Supreme Court Bench headed by CJI Surya Kant on July 22.
During the proceedings, a lawyer sought urgent intervention and offered to show the court video footage of the alleged police action. The CJI was reported as saying, "We are not interested in videos. We don't have time to watch," and told the lawyer not to waste the court's time. The remarks subsequently became a major point of criticism among the protesters and some NALSAR students.
The students' letter was sent on July 23, a day after those proceedings.
The Supreme Court proceedings later generated a clarification from CJI Surya Kant. Reports that the court had simply refused to hear a petition were disputed by the CJI, who said the reports were "false" and "reckless."
He clarified that when the matter was mentioned on July 22, there was no formally filed petition before the court and that only a representation had been mentioned. The registry, he said, had confirmed that no petition had been filed at that point.
The court subsequently agreed to hear petitions concerning the alleged police action. On July 27, the Supreme Court observed that peaceful protest is constitutionally protected and that an agitation by itself cannot justify excessive police action.
This sequence is important to the NALSAR controversy because the students' letter was sent on July 23, before the subsequent hearing and observations by the Supreme Court.
The convocation invitation under scrutiny
The disagreement comes at a law university where constitutional law, rights and access to justice are central to the academic curriculum.
Inviting senior members of the judiciary to convocation ceremonies also has precedent. CJI Surya Kant has himself addressed convocations at several law and higher education institutions this year. He was chief guest at Hidayatullah National Law University's ninth convocation in February 2026, where he spoke about patience, continued learning and professional responsibility.
He was also chief guest at the Central University of Punjab's 11th convocation in May and at the National Forensic Sciences University's fourth convocation in February.
For NALSAR students, his conduct during the July protest-related proceedings is compatible with the values they believe their convocation should represent. The students have therefore asked the university to "strongly reconsider" the proposed choice and hear the graduating batch before proceeding.
The university has yet to publicly announce whether Surya Kant has formally accepted an invitation or whether it has made a final decision on the chief guest.
