Chief Justice of India Surya Kant will attend the National Law School of India University’s 34th annual convocation on October 17 and preside over the ceremony in his capacity as Chancellor, bringing clarity to weeks of uncertainty following student and alumni opposition to his proposed presence at the event.
Veteran theatre and film personality Arundhati Nag will be the chief guest and deliver the convocation address. The confirmation comes after the university initially cancelled the ceremony scheduled for September 12 before reversing the decision and fixing a fresh date.
CJI to preside
NLSIU has now formally confirmed the CJI’s participation in the rescheduled ceremony. Surya Kant serves as Chancellor of the Bengaluru-based university and chairs its Executive Council and General Council.
While the October 17 date had been announced in September, the university’s earlier communication had not explicitly stated whether the CJI would attend. His participation had remained significant because opposition to his proposed presence was part of the controversy preceding the cancellation of the original ceremony.
Under the revised arrangement, Surya Kant will preside as Chancellor rather than serve as chief guest. Nag has been chosen as chief guest and will deliver the main convocation address.
September event cancelled
The university had originally scheduled its 34th annual convocation for September 12. On August 27, however, NLSIU informed graduating students that the ceremony had been cancelled due to “unavoidable circumstances”.
At that stage, the university said there would be no physical convocation for the 2026 graduating batch and students would instead receive their degrees in absentia after completion of the necessary formalities.
The cancellation came against the backdrop of opposition from a section of graduating students, other students and alumni to the proposed presence of Surya Kant and Bar Council of India chairman Manan Kumar Mishra.
Students had opposed presence
According to reports at the time, 165 students from the outgoing batch, 409 students from other batches and 128 alumni had opposed the CJI being the chief guest at the ceremony.
The students had also objected to Mishra’s proposed attendance. Their opposition followed a controversy at NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, where students had protested against the CJI’s presence at their convocation over remarks attributed to him concerning unemployed youth and student protests.
The dispute intensified after the Bar Council of India temporarily halted the enrolment process for NALSAR’s graduating batch before withdrawing the decision. NLSIU students and alumni subsequently expressed solidarity with their NALSAR counterparts and criticised the BCI’s intervention.
Convocation revived
Less than two weeks after cancelling the ceremony, NLSIU reversed course.
The university’s Executive Council and General Council met on September 9 and approved October 17 as the new date for the 34th annual convocation. Both meetings were chaired by Surya Kant in his capacity as Chancellor.
The university subsequently informed students that graduates would have the option of receiving their degrees in person at the ceremony or in absentia.
That communication, however, did not explicitly confirm whether Surya Kant himself would attend, leaving the question unresolved until the latest announcement.
Arundhati Nag chief guest
The decision to have Arundhati Nag deliver the convocation address marks a change from the controversy surrounding the earlier proposed arrangements.
Nag is a prominent theatre and film personality and the founder of Bengaluru’s Ranga Shankara theatre space. She has worked extensively in Indian theatre and cinema and received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for her contribution to theatre.
With Nag designated as chief guest, Surya Kant’s role at the ceremony will flow from his institutional position as NLSIU Chancellor.
The October 17 ceremony will therefore proceed after nearly two months of uncertainty that began with objections to the proposed guests, continued through the cancellation of the September convocation and culminated in the university’s decision to restore the event.