NALSAR students object to CJI Surya Kant as convocation chief guest

A section of students at the National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR), Hyderabad, has urged the university to reconsider its proposed invitation to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant as chief guest for its upcoming convocation, Times of India reported, citing concerns over his reported remarks during a hearing on alleged police excesses against ‘Chalo Sansad’ protesters at Jantar Mantar in Delhi.

At least six separate representations have been submitted to the university administration by students from different batches, seeking reconsideration of the proposed invitation, TOI has learnt.

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The CJI has traditionally delivered the convocation address at NALSAR. The date for the 2026-27 batch’s convocation, however, has not yet been finalised, students said.

The first representation was submitted on July 23 to the vice-chancellor, registrar, professors and the university administration. It referred to remarks reportedly made by Surya Kant during the hearing, including his response to an offer by counsel to show videos of the alleged police action: “We are not interested in videos; we don’t have time to watch.” The representation also quoted him as telling the counsel: “Don’t waste our time, and don’t waste your time”.

The students said the reported remarks were at odds with the constitutional values they believed the university should uphold.

Referring to the remarks, the students said, “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."

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"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.”

Five subsequent representations from students of different batches expressed support for the concerns raised in the original letter and asked the university to take the objections into account before finalising the chief guest.

Students told TOI that they had not received any response from the university so far. Repeated attempts by TOI to contact NALSAR vice-chancellor Srikrishna Deva Rao were unsuccessful. The institute’s registrar, meanwhile, said he was not aware of the representations.

Students claimed the representations had received support from hundreds of students across the institute. One student said each representation carried the signatures of around 70 to 80 students, putting the combined number at roughly 350 to 450. The figures could not be independently verified by TOI.

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“We respect the CJI’s position. But we have been taught the Constitution and constitutional values, and we don’t want to support something that goes against those values,” said a student, who is also a member of the Student Bar Council.

Another student, referring to the wording of the original representation, said: “We request the university to strongly reconsider this choice of chief guest for this convocation…We are open to discussing this further with the administration in whatever manner is convenient, whether through a meeting with student representatives or through any other channel the university considers appropriate.”

The students’ representations come before the university has finalised the date of the convocation, leaving open the possibility of further discussion between the administration and student representatives over the proposed chief guest. (With inputs from Times of India)