ABVP Challenges CLAT2018 Before Delhi High Court [Read Petition]

Akhil Bhartiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP), along with one candidate who appeared for CLAT UG and another law graduate who appeared for CLAT PG, has filed a Petition before the Delhi High Court challenging Common Law Admission Test (CLAT), 2018.

The Petition, filed through Advocate Namit Saxena and Nishant Awana, seeks the Court's intervention against the "inconsistent, negligent, sub-standard and inefficient implementation" of CLAT-2018, which was conducted on 13 May for granting admissions to Under-Graduate  and Post-Graduate programs in the discipline of law offered at premier national law schools of India.

The Petition begins by highlighting the "mismanagement and incompetency" of the National Law Universities in conducting CLAT on rotational basis, and asserts, " From the past many years, due to the irresponsible behaviour of the universities who negate the hard work being put down by thousands of aspirants, which leads to dreams being tarnished by the mere inconsistencies and repeated mismanagement."

It then goes on to contend that this year's exam, conducted by the National University of Advanced Legal Studies, has been the worst conducted examination for entrance in National Law Schools till date. Citing various reports, it submits, "More than sixty-thousand candidates took part in the said examination. The candidates faced multiple technical glitches at various test centres including but not limited to disruption in the examination and wrong seating arrangements, unfair time management, and obstruction while entering the centres.

The exact nature of technical glitches varies from different examination centres, the abysmal failure of the IT Vendor tasked with the implementation of technical aspects of the examination is both enraging and alarming. The frustration and confusion of candidates taking test was, however, further aggravated due to the lack of any timely technical assistance and blatant non-cooperation from the invigilator staff at such examination centres. In furtherance, many of the examination centre lacked basic infrastructure facilities such as drinking water, a cooling system or uninterrupted electricity supply. There were also complaints that extra time was allotted arbitrarily to students depends upon the situation faced by the examination centre."

It therefore alleges violation of fundamental rights of the appearing candidates before the Delhi High Court, and demands that the exam be quashed and a fresh examination free from all hindrances be ordered.

The Petitioners also seek a thorough enquiry into affairs of CLAT 2018, along with a direction to the Union of India through Ministry of Law and Justice or through Ministry of Human Resource Development or any other autonomous organization like UPSC or SSC or BCI or CBSE to take over the conduction of CLAT.

Further, as in interim measure, it demands a stay on all further proceedings in CLAT, 2018, including declaration of result. It also prays for restraining the CLAT committee for this year from tampering with any evidence of reported or unreported mismanagement.

Meanwhile Rajasthan High Court has issued notice in  a petition demanding CLAT retest posted for hearing on May 25.

Read the Petition Here