BCI Co-Chairman YR Sadasiva Reddy sought Manan Kumar Mishra’s resignation, citing allegations of financial and administrative irregularities

Y.R. Sadasiva Reddy, Senior Advocate and sitting Co-Chairman of the Bar Council of India (BCI), has written to BCI Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra demanding his "immediate resignation," accusing him of running the statutory body as personal fiefdom over more than a decade in office.

The letter, dated 22 August 2026, is addressed to Mishra at the BCI's Rouse Avenue office in New Delhi and lays out eight separate grounds for the demand; ranging from opaque staff appointments to the diversion of BCI funds into a privately controlled trust, and culminating in the recent order barring NALSAR University of Law's 2026 graduating batch from enrolment.

"Not the personal estate of any individual"

Reddy, who describes himself as a member of the profession for over three decades and an elected BCI Member, opens by asserting that the Bar Council of India "is not the personal estate of any individual" but a statutory body "holding funds contributed by lakhs of advocates." He states the letter is written "not as an adversary, but as an elected Member of the Bar Council of India... with considerable anguish, and only after long reflection."

Eight grounds for resignation

1. Opaque staff appointments: Reddy alleges that a review of BCI's employment records shows "a pattern that no responsible Member can overlook", "a striking proportion of the staff are persons connected to you personally, several of them being members of, or related to, your own family," with no advertisement, selection committee record, or merit list on file.

2. Diversion of ₹150 crore to a private trust: The letter states that the historic Bar Council of India Trust, which helped found the National Law School of India, Bengaluru; was allowed to lapse, while a new entity, "BCI Trust PEARL- First," was registered on 17 September 2020 with trustees of Mishra's own choosing. Reddy says a resolution was then passed transferring "a sum of the order of Rs. 150 crores of the funds of the Bar Council of India" to this new trust, over his recorded objection.

3. "Contributions" allegedly demanded from law colleges: Reddy cites "persistent and credible complaints" from multiple states that law colleges seeking BCI approval or renewal are being asked for "contributions" ranging from "Rs. 25 lakhs to Rs. 50 lakhs to Rs. 1 crore."

4. Family members in institutional posts: He alleges key administrative positions in institutions run by the Council and the trust are "once again, drawn from your family," with no feasibility study or governance structure ever placed before the Council.

5. The NALSAR order; described as the gravest ground: Reddy states that on 13 August 2026, a communication from Mishra's office directed state bar councils not to enrol the graduating batch of NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, over a students' representation concerning a convocation guest invitation. He says the direction was issued "without the material being placed before the Bar Council of India... without any resolution of this Council authorising it," and that he himself was never consulted. The order was withdrawn within hours amid what Reddy calls nationwide condemnation, was called "illegal and disproportionate" by the President of the Supreme Court Bar Association, and drew disapproval from the Supreme Court itself, before Mishra issued a letter of regret on 15 August 2026. Reddy calls it "by itself sufficient ground for you to demit office."

6. Encouraging factionalism in State Bar Councils through favoured groups and orders issued without notice to affected parties.

7. Over a decade in an office meant to rotate: Reddy notes the Chairmanship is a two-year elected post, yet Mishra "held that office continuously since 2012, and were returned for a further consecutive term in 2025," calling it "without precedent."

8. Loss of the Bar's confidence: The letter cites advocates protesting outside the BCI's own office, young lawyers leading the protests, and Student Bar Councils of National Law Universities "publicly declined to share a platform with the Chairman of the Bar Council of India."

The five-point demand

Reddy has formally called on Mishra to:

-Resign within 15 days of receiving the letter

-Convene a Special Meeting of the BCI to deliberate on each allegation, with records circulated in advance

-Order an independent special audit of BCI and BCI Trust PEARL- First's accounts by a CAG-empanelled firm, to be published

-Immediately bar the Council or any connected trust from accepting contributions from law colleges or universities

-Publish the Council's complete staffing position on its website

"No personal animosity"

Despite the severity of the charges, Reddy insists the letter is not personal: "I hold no personal animosity towards you. I have served alongside you on this Council for a decade... Standing down now, of your own accord, is the one course still open to you that would be to your credit." He closes: "The Bar of this country deserves better than what it is presently receiving from its own Council. I ask you to allow it that opportunity."

Background: "What started the controversy" 

The rift traces back to the NALSAR convocation row in mid-August 2026, when students at NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad objected to a guest invitation for their convocation. What began as a student representation escalated sharply when the BCI Chairman's office issued a directive on 13 August barring the university's entire 2026 graduating batch from enrolment; a move widely condemned across the legal community, criticised by the Supreme Court Bar Association as "illegal and disproportionate," and which drew disapproval from the Supreme Court itself before being withdrawn within hours.
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