Guwahati, Aug. 14 -- Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Friday criticised the Bar Council of India (BCI) for directing state Bar councils to withhold enrolment of the 2026 batch of NALSAR University of Law students following their protest linked to his invitation to the university's annual convocation.

Hearing a plea challenging the BCI's now-withdrawn directive, the CJI said students were entitled to express their views and questioned why the professional body had intervened in the matter.

Surya Kant said the students had communicated their concerns to him directly and described the matter as an interaction between the students and himself. He observed that the BCI's intervention was unnecessary and had no connection with the issue....