Bar Council chair rejects plea for resignation; co-chair alleges irregularities

Bar Council of India (BCI) chairman Manan Kumar Mishra on Saturday said he has the support of two-thirds of the Council’s members, rejecting a demand for his resignation and allegations of financial and administrative irregularities by BCI co-chairman YR Sadasiva Reddy.

Reddy, in a letter dated August 22 addressed to Mishra, seen by HT, demanded his immediate resignation and an independent probe into alleged irregularities in financial transactions, appointments and other decisions of the legal profession’s top regulatory body.

“I have not received any letter. I have only seen it on social media. The BCI has members representing 24 State Bar Councils. I command the support of two-thirds of members. So long as I command the support of the majority, who is he to seek my resignation?” Mishra said when asked about the letter.

When HT contacted Reddy, he initially refused to comment. After the contents of the letter were read out to him, he said, “I do not know about the letter,” raising questions about its authenticity.

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Reddy questions Mishra's role

Reddy did not attend a BCI Council meeting held on Saturday. But, in a video interview to PTI, Reddy made much of the same allegations as in the purported letter: “Financial and administrative irregularities, alleged nepotism and the NALSAR enrolment controversy has prompted me to seek BCI chairman Manan Kumar Mishra’s resignation. I have been a member of the Bar Council of India for around a decade and had refrained from raising such issues earlier as we wanted to safeguard the interests of the institution and did not want to act against its ethos.”

Reddy has sought Mishra’s resignation within 15 days and an independent audit of BCI accounts and the BCI Trust PEARL-First, PTI videos quoted him as saying.

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Mishra, a BJP Rajya Sabha member, questioned Reddy’s current status in the BCI, saying he was no longer a member after not contesting the Karnataka Bar Council elections.

“As of today, he (Reddy) is not a member of BCI as he is not a member of the Karnataka Bar Council. The election results of Karnataka Bar Council are out and he did not contest it,” he said.

Financial and nepotism allegations

Reddy’s letter alleged that under Mishra, a new trust, BCI Trust PEARL-First, replaced the Bar Council of India Trust registered in September 2020 with persons of his choice. It alleged that a proposal was later moved to transfer around ₹150 crore of BCI funds to the new trust.

“I placed my opposition to that resolution on record at the time, as did certain other Members. Our objection was overridden,” the letter said. It further alleged that law colleges seeking BCI approval or renewal were asked to make “contributions” to the trust ranging from ₹25 lakh to ₹1 crore.

The letter also alleged nepotism, claiming that institutions run by the BCI and the trust, as well as key administrative positions, involved members of Mishra’s family. “The Bar Council of India is not the personal estate of any individual….Every rupee it holds is held in trust,” Reddy said.

Mishra dismisses Reddy's claims

Mishra rejected the allegations as “baseless” and “politically motivated”, accusing Reddy of playing “dirty party politics”.

“He belongs to a rival Congress party and it is evident he is playing dirty party politics. He has resorted to making all sorts of false and baseless allegations and just because the BCI order on NALSAR was withdrawn, this man has got an opportunity to open his mouth,” Mishra said.

He also questioned why Reddy had remained silent for eight years. Reddy’s letter comes amid a Supreme Court petition challenging Mishra’s continuation.

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The petition cited BCI Rules limiting the chairman’s tenure to two years and questioned his continuation since 2014 and a Gazette notification in April 2025 extending his term to 2030.

Mishra said the Advocates Act, 1961 does not prescribe a fixed tenure for the chairman. “In 2023, the Council adopted a unanimous resolution increasing the tenure of Chairman to five years,” he said.