The Karnataka State Bar Council (KSBC) has rejected allegations levelled against Bar Council of India (BCI) Chairman and Senior Advocate Manan Kumar Mishra, terming them “politically motivated, baseless” and aimed at creating “artificial friction within the legal fraternity.”
In a press release dated August 24, 2026, KSBC Chairman V.D. Kamaraddi expressed the Council’s “complete solidarity” with Mishra and said the State Bar Council “firmly dismisses and condemns” the allegations contained in a letter dated August 22, 2026 issued by former BCI member and Co-Chairman Y.R. Sadasivareddy. The statement comes after Sadasivareddy had demanded Mishra’s resignation as BCI Chairman and called for an independent inquiry into matters concerning the functioning of the BCI.
The KSBC, however, sought to question the timing and basis of the allegations, pointing to Sadasivareddy’s nearly decade-long association with the BCI. The KSBC described the subsequent grievances, raised years after those decisions were implemented, as demonstrating a “clear lack of bona fides.”
The Council further stated that Sadasivareddy was removed as the BCI representative of the KSBC by a two-thirds majority resolution of the Karnataka State Bar Council, citing “inefficiency and unsatisfactory performance.” It alleged that despite the removal, he continued in the same position at the “mercy of the BCI Chairman.” The statement said:
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“It is ironic that an individual previously removed by his home State Bar Council for inefficiency now seeks to question the credentials of the BCI Chairman.”
The KSBC also questioned Sadasivareddy’s present standing, stating that he did not contest the recent Karnataka State Bar Council elections and is no longer an elected member of the State Bar Council. It termed his raising of “stale issues” after losing statutory standing as lacking institutional weight and described it as representing a personal or political agenda rather than the voice of the Bar.
Defending Mishra’s leadership, the KSBC said that under his stewardship, the BCI had consistently protected the autonomy of the profession, strengthened advocate welfare initiatives, upgraded digital infrastructure and addressed institutional matters through constructive, democratic dialogue.
The Council further stated that, while the newly elected members of the KSBC await formal takeover of office, it continues to have absolute faith and confidence in Mishra’s leadership of the BCI.
The press release concluded with an appeal to advocates in Karnataka and across India to reject what it described as “politically motivated distractions” and remain united under Mishra’s leadership.