The Cockroach Janta Party has thrown its weight behind a fresh protest targeting Bar Council of India chairman Manan Kumar Mishra, ensuring the NALSAR University enrolment row remains a live political flashpoint even after the council’s climbdown.
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How the Pressure Built Up
The controversy stems from the BCI’s decision to briefly halt enrolment of NALSAR’s 2026 graduating batch, after students objected to CJI Surya Kant’s participation as convocation chief guest. Though the order was withdrawn within hours, a Supreme Court bench led by CJI Kant strongly disapproved of the council’s intervention, calling it “totally uncalled for” and affirming students’ right to protest.
CJP Escalates With ‘Legal Cockroaches’ Protest
CJP co-convenor Saurav Das has framed Mishra’s continued position as untenable, writing on X that “moral responsibility commands that Manan Kumar Mishra resigns,” and calling on “cockroaches both inside and outside courts” to make it happen. The party has also cited the Bombay Bar Association’s own resignation demand, positioning its street-level campaign alongside pushback from within the legal fraternity itself.
Mishra Under Wider Scrutiny
The backlash extends beyond CJP. Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan accused Mishra of acting “like a dictator” because he controls the system, while a petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking structural BCI reforms, including fixed tenures for office-bearers. That petition carries extra weight given Mishra has headed the BCI since 2014 and was re-elected for a record seventh consecutive term in 2025, despite the post technically carrying a two-year tenure.
Mishra’s Independence Day apology to NALSAR students appears to have done little to defuse the situation, with resignation demands only growing louder from CJP, bar associations, and senior lawyers alike.
