Outgoing NALSAR students do not want CJI Surya Kant at convocation ceremony

A large section of students of the outgoing 2026 batch at the NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, do not want Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant as the chief guest at their convocation ceremony.

The university has yet to announce the date of convocation or confirm the chief guest’s presence. But, for NALSAR, the CJI delivering the convocation address has been a tradition for some time now.

The students’ dissent is over the CJI’s recent conduct and statements during the NEET protests in New Delhi.

NALSAR’s solidarity with NEET protesters and the hunger strike by educationist Sonam Wangchuk at Jantar Mantar, was first visible on the campus here on July 20, when several students observed a one-meal fast. It was on the same day that the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) called for ‘Chalo Sansad’ and witnessed police excesses on protesters.

The solidarity took shape as a collective protest two days later, when the CJI-led Bench declined to initiate suo motu proceedings against the alleged police excesses. The CJI’s remarks, such as “We are not interested in videos. We don’t have time to watch them,” and “Don’t waste our time, and don’t waste your time,” among others, went viral.

On July 23, the batch of 2026, citing the remarks, wrote to the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Registrar, professors and the administration, asking them to reconsider the CJI as the chief guest of the convocation.

The representation, endorsed by some 70 students, including members of the Students Bar Council, read: “As law students, our concern is specific to our graduating batch. A convocation should reflect the university’s commitment to constitutional rights, access to justice, and reasoned engagement with grievances. Receiving our degrees from a dignitary whose recent public conduct, as reported, appears dismissive of serious allegations of police brutality against protesting citizens sits uneasily with the values we have been taught at NALSAR.”

By July 25, classes of 2027, 2028, 2029, 2030, and 2031, comprising about 380 students, had expressed support for and endorsed the representation initiated by the class of 2026.

The university, as of August 8 (Saturday), according to students, has neither acknowledged the representation nor communicated its intentions.

Although the event was initially suggested for August, the administration has not communicated the date of the convocation to the graduating students, some of whom have already started working abroad. The administration has also not initiated key preparations for the convocation, such as planning the event or mobilising volunteers from junior batches to help organise it.

University officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, indicated that holding the convocation this month appeared unlikely, as the later weeks would coincide with mid-semester examinations for certain classes.

“The representation was noted and understood by the recipients of the email. However, its reconsideration remains unlikely,” an official said, hinting at the university’s wait-and-watch approach.

Students said they would continue to demand answers from the university and, if their concerns remained unaddressed, hold a protest after giving the administration a week’s notice.