A section of students about to graduate from the National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR) University in Hyderabad has objected to the arrival of the Chief Justice of India (CJI), Surya Kant, being invited as the chief guest for the institute’s 2026 convocation. The students have voiced concerns over recent judicial developments and remarks attributed to him.

The students from the Batch of 2026 have also written to the University’s Vice-chancellor (VC), faculty members and other university authorities, urging them to reconsider the decision.

Students take exception to CJI’s remarks

In their letter, the students reflected on the recent controversies surrounding CJI Kant, including remarks attributed to him concerning the Jantar Mantar protest led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and the alleged comparison of India youth to cockroaches. 

The letter read, “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 students further alleged that remarks attributed to the CJI reflected apathy towards youngsters. The students further wrote in the letter, “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.” 

Furthermore, they argued that inviting CJI Kant to preside over the ceremony would be inconsistent with what they termed ‘the values of constitutional accountability and academic freedom.’

Another statement penned down by the students read, “Inviting him to our college to hand us degrees that hold so much academic and emotional importance does not sit right with us.” 

The group pleaded with the university administration to reconsider the invitation and treat the issue as a concern shared by graduating students rather than an objection raised by a single batch. 

TISS Convocation deferred amid protest concerns

The development comes almost two weeks after the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, deferred its 86th convocation, which had been scheduled for August 2, 2026. The decision came less than two days before the ceremony. 

The institute cited ‘unforeseen circumstances’ for the last-minute deferment and did not officially link the decision to the proposed attendance of CJI Kant or any potential protests.

However, students and officials in the know of the development reportedly expressed concerns over security arrangements and the possibility of demonstrations disrupting the event. Some also linked these apprehensions to protests associated with the CJP movement. Notably, these claims could not be independently verified. 

CJI Kant was expected to attend the TISS convocation as the chief guest.