New Delhi, Aug. 14 -- A late-evening effort by the Bar Council of India to scuttle the enrolment of new graduates from top law school Nalsar-and its swift reversal following a public outcry-has sparked consternation in the legal fraternity, with senior lawyers saying the move has brought the statutory body into disrepute. The BCI's actions also drew a sharp rebuke from Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, whose invitation to the Nalsar convocation, ironically, had triggered the student protest that led to the now-withdrawn BCI diktat.

A Supreme Court bench led by Kant on Friday took strong exception to the BCI's directive to withhold enrolment of the 2026 graduating batch of Nalsar University of Law, after students had protested his partic...