New Delhi: The Bar Council of India has no legal authority to take disciplinary action against students pursuing law courses, the Supreme Court has ruled.

The ruling came in a case involving students of NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, who protested against Chief Justice of India Surya Kant during their convocation.

The students had objected to the refusal of a bench headed by the CJI to urgently hear a petition related to alleged police action during a protest at Jantar Mantar.

On August 13, the Bar Council issued a circular stating that the protesting students would be barred from enrolling as advocates.

Challenging the decision, the students approached the Supreme Court.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant held that the Advocates Act, 1961, does not confer on the Bar Council any direct or indirect power to take disciplinary action against law students.

Such disciplinary authority rests with the university or educational institution where the students are enrolled, the court said.

The court observed that the Bar Council's regulatory control over a person begins after completion of the law course and formal enrolment as an advocate.