SC Judge Justice Ujjal Bhuyan Hails NALSAR Students After Convocation Row
Weeks after national scrutiny enveloped Hyderabad’s NALSAR University of Law during its annual convocation ceremony, Supreme Court judge Justice Ujjal Bhuyan delivered an outspoken tribute to the institution’s student body. Addressing the valedictory session of the 19th NALSAR-Justice B.R. Sawhney Memorial Moot Court Competition in Hyderabad, Justice Bhuyan lauded the students for exemplifying the true spirit of legal education, characterizing them as exceptionally brilliant, outspoken, and courageous. Justice Bhuyan, who served as the ex-officio Chancellor of NALSAR during his tenure as Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court in 2022-23, also praised Vice-Chancellor Professor Srikrishna Deva Rao and the academic faculty for their steadfast institutional leadership.
The Convocation Flashpoint and the Bar Council of India Stand-Off
Justice Bhuyan’s commendation follows intense controversy in August 2026, when graduating students at NALSAR organized peaceful protests against the invitation extended to CJI Surya Kant as the convocation chief guest, citing specific judicial observations made during hearings on alleged police excesses in New Delhi. The demonstration prompted a swift retaliatory announcement from Bar Council of India (BCI) Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra, who issued an interim order barring the entire 2026 NALSAR graduating batch from state bar council enrollments. The regulatory embargo triggered immediate legal backlash, compelling the BCI to retract its punitive notification within hours. The controversy was conclusively put to rest on August 14, when the Supreme Court issued explicit directives restraining any disciplinary action against NALSAR students or faculty, affirming that the BCI possesses no statutory authority to regulate or penalize enrolled university students.
Defense of Electoral Democracy: Warning Against Mass Voter Exclusion
Before concluding his address, Justice Bhuyan pivoted to fundamental constitutional principles, offering significant remarks on voting rights and the preservation of democratic institutions. Citing the legendary jurist Nani Palkhivala’s observation that freedom must be actively defended by every successive generation, Justice Bhuyan stated that administrative procedures leading to large-scale disenfranchisement of eligible citizens are inherently arbitrary and unconstitutional. He emphasized that the Indian Constitution creates a unified citizenship framework without tiered classes of voters, stressing that wholesale omissions from voter lists breach the constitutional guarantees of equality under Article 14 and universal adult suffrage under Article 326.
Judicial Dissonance on Voter Rolls: The Special Intensive Revision Context
Justice Bhuyan’s forthright observations on electoral rights arrive amid heated political debates surrounding the Election Commission of India's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists. While earlier apex court verdicts in May 2026 validated the SIR exercise across Bihar and West Bengal as a legitimate constitutional mechanism to purify rolls before counting ballots, Justice Bhuyan's speech highlights an evolving internal discourse within legal circles. By warning that unjustified disenfranchisement subverts the democratic order adopted by the framers of the Constitution, his remarks bring fresh institutional focus to the protection of democratic safeguards and citizen franchise across the country.
