NEET row: Hyderabad law university students oppose CJI as convocation chief guest

In a letter to the administration, the students said the move sits uneasily with concerns over recent judicial developments, constitutional accountability and academic freedom.Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. (File photo)A section of outgoing students at the National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR) University, Hyderabad, has objected to the invitation extended to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant to preside over the university's 2026 convocation ceremony. A group of students from the Batch of 2026 has written to the Vice-Chancellor, Registrar, faculty members and other members of the university administration, urging them to reconsider the decision to invite the CJI as the chief guest.In a letter submitted to the concerned authorities, the students raised concerns over recent judicial developments, including remarks attributed to the Chief Justice regarding the Jantar Mantar protest and his alleged comparison of Indian youth to cockroaches."We, the undersigned students of [redacted] (2025-2026), share the concerns of the graduating batch regarding inviting the Hon’ble CJI, Justice Surya Kant, as our convocation’s Chief Guest," the letter read."From referring to the youth as ‘cockroaches’ to making insensitive statements about not having time to watch videos of police brutality, the CJI has shown apathy towards students like us. Inviting him to our college to hand us degrees that hold so much academic and emotional importance does not sit right with us," it further added. The students have reportedly argued that inviting the Chief Justice in the present circumstances would be inconsistent with values linked to constitutional accountability and academic freedom. Hence, they urged the university authorities to rethink their decision. "We request the University Administration to reconsider its proposal to extend the invitation to the Hon’ble CJI, and hope that the University treat this as a shared concern across the graduating cohorts rather than one raised by a single batch," the letter concluded. - EndsPublished By: Akash ChatterjeePublished On: Aug 9, 2026 13:18 IST