“We as [future] lawyers have to stand with the student community in India”: From NALSAR to TISS, growing student anger is reshaping the CJI’s public calendar

“A CONVOCATION is meant to be a moment where the University’s own values, including a commitment to constitutional rights, access to justice, and reasoned engagement with grievances, are visibly reflected in the choices it makes,” write a group of graduating students at NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, opposing the possibility of inviting Chief Justice of India (‘CJI’) Surya Kant as chief guest for the University’s upcoming convocation.

In the last three weeks, three different varsity convocations at which the CJI was slated to appear as the chief guest were either contested by students, declined by him, or abruptly postponed. The root of the controversy lies in the notorious “cockroach” remark made by the CJI. Although he later said that the remark had been quoted out of context, it had already gone viral and continues to trigger sustained public anger among students and young job-seekers. 

Matters intensified further when a mention regarding police brutality during the July 20 Chalo Sansad march came up before his bench, and the CJI reportedly refused to look at video evidence of the police action, saying, “We are not interested in videos… we don’t have time to watch.” He subsequently clarified that this response was because the counsel had not filed a formal petition but a one-page letter to the Secretary General of the Court. Even so, the possibility that the Court could take suo motu cognisance has kept the outrage over those remarks alive.

An unwelcome guest?

“We feel that receiving our degrees from a dignitary whose recent public conduct, as reported, appears dismissive of serious allegations of police brutality against protesting citizens sits uncomfortably with what we have been taught to value during our time at NALSAR,” wrote the students in their mail addressed to the University’s Vice-Chancellor, Registrar, and faculty.

This unease first surfaced publicly on July 23, when a group of graduating students at NALSAR wrote to the administration, opposing a proposal to invite CJI Surya Kant as chief guest for the University’s 23rd convocation. 

According to the students, it is a tradition for the incumbent CJI to attend NALSAR’s convocation; while the University had not formally announced the chief guest at the time, the students apprehended that he could be invited and wrote to the administration in advance, urging it not to extend the invitation without first consulting students. In their email, the students cited publicly available reports on the CJI’s handling of police brutality against the Jantar Mantar protesters, noting that “it is pertinent to note that these reports have come at a time when a separate letter petition has already been addressed to the Hon’ble CJI, seeking the Hon’ble Supreme Court’s suo motu intervention into the police atrocities of 20.07.2026, citing injuries to over 170 protesters, including women and children, and possible violations of the safeguards laid down in D.K. Basu v. State of West Bengal.” They added that, as students of law, their concern was “narrower and more specific to us as a graduating batch.”

Speaking to The Leaflet, a student, who prefers anonymity, said, “We as [future] lawyers have to stand with the student community in India and demand accountability,” adding that concerns over the CJI’s approach to cases involving police brutality made his proposed participation as chief guest difficult for the students to reconcile. 

Reports put the number of signatories at about 450 students, out of a total of 1,400 university students, who have signed on or made similar requests; the outgoing batch asked the University to “strongly reconsider” its choice of chief guest and to consult the graduating batch before any final decision. Unofficially, some faculty members have communicated to students that the convocation is likely to be postponed. The Leaflet has reached out to the University administration for its response, and this report will be updated if the University confirms the postponement or responds to the students’ concerns.

More than a fortnight ago, at O.P. Jindal Global University’s 15th convocation in Sonipat, the CJI was reportedly invited as chief guest but did not participate. On July 25, Justice P.S. Narasimha attended in his place, while Senior Advocate Abhishek M. Singhvi attended the following day’s ceremony, on July 26. The Leaflet reached out to the University’s Vice Chancellor and Registrar for an official clarification but has not received a response; this story will be updated if and when the university does.

The most striking instance came at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (‘TISS’), where the CJI was expected as chief guest at the 86th Annual Convocation, scheduled for August 2, 2026, in Mumbai, alongside the acting Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court Ravindra Ghuge as guest of honour. While the Institute had not publicly announced the CJI’s name, it was reportedly widely known within the student community. Just two days before the ceremony, however, TISS’s Registrar announced, via an email to students, the postponement of the convocation due to “unforeseen circumstances.” 

Several media outlets reported that the last-minute cancellation was driven by intelligence inputs and the administration’s fear of protests targeting the CJI at the event. In its public notice, TISS said that “the Institute had to take the difficult decision to postpone the Convocation in the best and long term interest of the Institute as well as preserving the wellbeing of students, faculty, staff, dignitaries, guests, and campus life.”

According to students, the atmosphere on campus had grown progressively hostile in the days leading up to the convocation, and students were allegedly warned that any form of protest could jeopardise their careers and placement prospects. A subsequent notice declaring the following Monday a “non-instructional day” was also seen as an attempt to minimise the chance of on-campus gatherings. The convocation has now been rescheduled for August 22.

Separately, the Justice H.R. Khanna Memorial Lecture, scheduled for July 28 at the India International Centre and billed with the CJI as chief guest, was also postponed. According to the organisers, the decision had been taken “a couple of days ago,” placing it around July 23, when the CJI’s dismissal of the plea regarding police brutality coincided with the intensifying student agitation.

While the Supreme Court is now hearing a batch of petitions concerning the brutality during the student protests, and the CJI has asked authorities to exercise restraint, these parallel developments simply underscore the anger that has been building within the legal community over his earlier remarks. Some have lauded the NALSAR students’ stand and extended solidarity with them. If anything, this pattern of shelved events is a reminder to those in positions of responsibility to maintain professionalism, and to refrain from making disparaging or dismissive remarks. At the same time, it prompts the question whether the Supreme Court is doing enough. Was the CJI’s dismissal, later justified in the language of procedure, an adequate response, or a convenient one?