Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant is set to attend the convocation of NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, as the chief guest, despite objections raised by a section of students. The date of the convocation has not yet been finalised, though the ceremony is generally held in August or September.
The Vice-Chancellor’s office said the university had invited Justice Surya Kant and that his office had accepted the invitation. The decision has, however, faced opposition from around 450 students out of NALSAR’s total strength of nearly 1,400. The students have questioned the choice of the CJI in light of his recent remarks and conduct during proceedings concerning allegations of police excesses against protesters.
The students’ objections followed a July 22 Supreme Court hearing concerning allegations of police excesses during a crackdown on student protesters in Delhi on July 20. The Supreme Court declined to initiate Suo motu proceedings in the matter. When a lawyer referred to video evidence allegedly showing police brutality, CJI Surya Kant orally declined to examine the footage, saying that the court’s time should not be “wasted”.
In their initial representation, the students argued that the decision was inconsistent with the values they associate with the university. They said a convocation should reflect NALSAR’s commitment to constitutional rights, access to justice and meaningful engagement with grievances. The students expressed concern that receiving their degrees from a dignitary whose recent conduct, in their view, appeared dismissive of allegations of police brutality was difficult to reconcile with those values. They consequently urged the university to reconsider its choice of chief guest.
Following this, students from various other batches came forward and submitted letters talking about similar concerns. The batch of 2029 said the issue extended far beyond classrooms raises serious questions about the constitutional ethos that NALSAR holds. They also said that the concerns addressed by their batch hold utmost significance because it affects the wider university community and its institutional values.
The 2028 batch, meanwhile, described its position as being in “vehement opposition” to the presence of the sitting Chief Justice at the convocation. The students maintained that their objection was rooted in concerns about the conduct and statements of a constitutional authority rather than being limited to the ceremony itself.
The 2030 batch adopted a more pointed position, referring to the CJI’s reported remark, “Please don’t waste our time. We don’t have time to watch these videos,” during the proceedings. The students also referred to earlier remarks attributed to Justice Surya Kant in which he reportedly described young people as “parasites and cockroaches attacking the system”. They argued that such statements and conduct by the country’s highest judicial office did not reflect what they understood to be the constitutional values that NALSAR has sought to uphold.
