New Delhi (Gurpreet Singh): Bar Council of India Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra is facing escalating pressure to step down from his post after occupying the apex regulatory office for more than a decade. The controversy has reached the Supreme Court through a petition filed by advocate Yogamaya MG, challenging Mishra’s extended leadership and seeking an independent judicial inquiry into the administrative and financial affairs of the statutory regulatory body governing legal practice and legal education in India.
The legal challenge argues that the leadership of a national institution representing the country’s legal fraternity should not remain concentrated within a single individual or regional faction. While Rule 12(2) of the Bar Council rules prescribes a two-year tenure for executive positions, the petitioner contended that the absence of term limits on re-elections has allowed Mishra to retain the chairmanship since 2012, save for a brief hiatus in 2014. The petition specifically challenges an April 2025 Gazette notification extending his term until 2030, maintaining that executive notifications cannot supersede statutory governing frameworks.
Internal dissent within the regulatory body has intensified alongside the judicial plea. In a detailed letter, BCI co-Chairman Y.R. Sadasiva Reddy demanded Mishra’s immediate resignation, citing financial irregularities, unauthorized appointments, and unilateral governance decisions. Similar resignation calls were raised by General Council members Manoj Kumar Narendran from Kerala and Srinath Tripathi from Uttar Pradesh, who argued that prolonged centralization of power undermines collective responsibility and democratic governance within the statutory institution.
The calls for accountability follow widespread criticism over a recently rescinded directive that barred graduating law students from Hyderabad’s NALSAR University of Law from enrolling as advocates after students objected to an official invitation extended to the Chief Justice of India for their convocation. While Mishra issued an apology on Independence Day, civil society groups including the Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms demanded his removal, characterizing the initial directive as unconstitutional intimidation. Mishra has firmly rejected all resignation calls, asserting that he was democratically elected and represents approximately 2.5 million lawyers nationwide.
