सुर्या कान्त ने कानूनी छात्रों से खुली बातचीत: पुलिस कार्रवाई, कॉलेजियम और ट्यूशन फीस पर स्पष्ट जवाब

CJI Surya Kant Holds Open House With Law Students, Takes Questions On Police Action, Collegium

LIVELAW NEWS NETWORK

26 Sept 2026 2:25 PM IST

The Chief Justice took questions from the CNLU students "directly, openly, and without a script. "

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Saturday held an open-house interaction with students of Chanakya National Law University (CNLU), Patna, where he responded to questions on police action against student protesters, transparency in the Collegium system, rising law school fees and challenges faced by first-generation lawyers.

The University, in a press release, described it as "the first of its kind in Indian history when a sitting Chief Justice of India was engaged in a live, unfiltered interaction with law students."

The interaction was held at CNLU's Ashoka Auditorium. Patna High Court Chief Justice and CNLU Chancellor Justice V Kameswar Rao and CNLU Vice-Chancellor Professor Faizan Mustafa were also present. The event was organised by the university's Academic and Debating Committee and Legal Aid Cell, according to a press release issued by CNLU.

The University stated that the event assumed significance in the light of the opposition the Chief Justice of India faced fro mthe students of NLSIU, Bangalore, and NALSAR, Hyderabad.

"In an unprecedented move, Chief Justice of India, Mr. Justice Surya Kant, walked into a law school auditorium and took questions directly, openly, and without a script. In the light of recent opposition to CJI in NALSAR, Hyderabad and NLSIU, Bangalore, the event had great significance as CJI preferred to have frank questions and answers session with the prestigious National Law University in Patna. The initiative was taken by the students themselves who invited CJI to have direct conversation with them," the University stated.

CJI responds to question on police action against protesters

During the interaction, a student asked the Chief Justice about the police response to peaceful student protests.

Responding, CJI Surya Kant reaffirmed the judiciary's commitment to protecting students' fundamental right to hold peaceful protests.

The CJI also addressed concerns raised by students regarding the difficulties faced by first-generation lawyers entering the legal profession.

The Chief Justice referred to the order passed in the case Sarika Tyagi v Union of India, where he spoke about the need for a professional assistance corpus to provide financial support to young lawyers during their initial years of practice.

CJI explains why Collegium dissents are not made public

A student also questioned why dissenting views expressed during Collegium deliberations are recorded but are not made public.

Responding to the question, CJI Surya Kant said that disclosure of such observations, even when well-intentioned, could place the individual under consideration in an untenable position.

He referred to the need to consider the impact that disclosure of negative observations could have on the dignity of the person concerned.

Students raise tuition fees, scholarships

The Chief Justice also responded to concerns from students regarding increasing tuition fees and inadequate scholarships. According to the CNLU release, he indicated that the issue would be addressed.

CNLU Vice-Chancellor Faizan Mustafa also proposed changes to legal education, including restructuring the five-year law course so that the final year could involve mandatory court apprenticeship, while removing the separate one-year practice requirement for judicial service examinations.

CJI Surya Kant responded positively to the proposal and said it could lead to greater integration of court experience with legal education. The proposal, as described by the university, would not reduce the overall duration of the law course but would seek to incorporate litigation experience into legal education.

Justice V Kameswar Rao also spoke about judicial clerkships, with the university release stating that he supported making High Court clerkships more competitive and financially attractive. He also suggested that remuneration for judicial clerks at the Patna High Court should be competitive with corporate legal opportunities.

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