Senior Advocate and Bar Council of India (BCI) co-chairman YR Sadasiva Reddy has demanded the immediate resignation of BCI Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra, giving him 15 days to step down.
In a letter dated August 22, Reddy alleged that the BCI had deviated from the standards expected of a statutory regulator under Mishra’s leadership. He also called for a special meeting of the BCI, an independent audit of its accounts and an audit of the “BCI Trust PEARL - First”, established during Mishra’s tenure, Bar And Bench Reported.
Reddy further urged the BCI to stop accepting payments from law colleges seeking approval or renewal.
NALSAR Controversy Cited
Reddy’s demand comes days after Mishra faced criticism over a directive threatening to bar the graduating batch of NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, from enrolment as advocates over a campaign opposing Chief Justice of India Surya Kant’s participation as the university’s convocation chief guest.
The directive and proposed inquiry were withdrawn within hours. Reddy cited the episode as one of the grounds for seeking Mishra’s resignation.
According to his letter, the August 13 directive was issued without the matter being placed before the BCI or discussed by its members, and without a Council resolution authorising it.
“The office of Chairman was used to threaten an entire graduating batch of law students ... with exclusion from the profession, as reprisal for having held an opinion,” Reddy said.
Allegations Of Irregular Appointments, Fund Transfer
Reddy also alleged that several BCI staff members were closely associated with Mishra and were appointed without advertisements or a transparent recruitment process.
The letter raised concerns over the “BCI Trust PEARL - First”, registered in 2020 with trustees chosen by Mishra. Reddy alleged that around Rs 150 crore was transferred from BCI funds to the trust despite objections from some Council members.
“I know of no provision of the Advocates Act, 1961 which permits the corpus of a statutory regulator (BCI) to be transferred to a private trust registered by its own Chairman,” Reddy said.
He also claimed that complaints had been received alleging that law colleges seeking BCI approval or renewal were asked to make “contributions” ranging from Rs 25 lakh to Rs 1 crore to the trust.
Reddy said that if the allegations were true, they would be a matter of “utmost gravity”, adding that the BCI’s regulatory powers were not intended to be used for fundraising.
Reddy Questions Mishra's Long Tenure
The letter also criticised Mishra’s continuous tenure as BCI chairman since 2012, including his re-election in 2025.
Reddy alleged that Mishra’s uninterrupted tenure of more than 14 years had undermined the rotational principle intended for the office.
“When elections to the office fall due, the arrangements are so managed that the outcome is a foregone conclusion,” Reddy alleged, adding that an elected office held by one person for 14 years had effectively ceased to be an elected office.
Reddy also pointed to protests by advocates outside the BCI office and National Law University Student Bar Councils declining to share platforms with Mishra as signs of declining confidence in the Council.
“I hold no personal animosity towards you,” Reddy wrote, adding that he had served alongside Mishra for a decade and believed the institution could not recover while Mishra remained in the chair.
Meanwhile, a lawyer has approached the Supreme Court challenging Mishra’s uninterrupted continuation as BCI chairman for more than a decade. The petition was filed on Friday and is yet to be heard by the Court.
