Bar Council Co-Chair Demands Manan Mishra Resignation Over Governance Allegations
YR Sadasiva Reddy cites fund transfers, appointments and NALSAR directive; Mishra rejects claims and says he retains majority support.
New Delhi1 min read
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Bar Council of India co-chairman Y.R. Sadasiva Reddy on Saturday called on chairman Manan Kumar Mishra to resign within 15 days. In a letter, Reddy listed allegations including diversion of Council funds to a private trust, irregular appointments and the recent directive affecting NALSAR University students.
Reddy sought an independent inquiry and a special audit of the BCI and its PEARL-First Trust. He said the Council had drifted from the standards expected of it.
Mishra rejected the demands. He stated he was elected, not nominated, and that more than two-thirds of BCI members continue to support him. He offered to step down if financial irregularities were proven and dismissed the charges as political.
The controversy follows Mishra’s August 13 directive asking state Bar councils not to enrol the 2026 NALSAR batch after student protests against a planned convocation speaker. The directive was later withdrawn. Additional voices including the Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms have also called for Mishra’s removal.
