CJI Surya Kant: TISS has quietly dropped Chief Justice of India Surya Kant as chief guest for its 86th convocation, replacing him with Dr CS Pramesh, director of Tata Memorial Hospital, for the rescheduled ceremony on August 22.
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The First Postponement
TISS’s Mumbai campus had originally scheduled its convocation for August 2, with CJI Surya Kant as chief guest. Just two days before the event, in an email sent at 12:50 am, the institute’s registrar announced a postponement citing “unforeseen circumstances,” without naming a reason. A later statement said the ceremony could not be held in a “conducive environment.”
What Was Really Behind It
Students said the real trigger was fear of protests connected to the Cockroach Janta Party movement, which had targeted the CJI over remarks referring to unemployed young Indians as “cockroaches.” Several graduating students told reporters no protest was actually planned, with one asking pointedly whether the postponement was about the CJI, or about the 800 students who had earned their degrees.
Part of a Wider Pattern
The TISS episode was reportedly the third public event with the CJI as chief guest to be postponed within a single week, reflecting a broader wave of unease around his appearances at academic institutions. It also echoes the NALSAR row, where the CJI later clarified he had never formally accepted that university’s convocation invitation amid a similar student campaign.
With Dr Pramesh now confirmed as chief guest, TISS’s rescheduled ceremony is set to proceed on August 22 at its Deonar campus. Whether the swap cools tensions or becomes another flashpoint in the ongoing student-versus-judiciary standoff remains to be seen.
