Plea In Supreme Court Alleges Paper Leak In CLAT 2026; Seeks Probe

A plea has been filed before the Supreme Court seeking a Court-monitored, time-bound probe into alleged leak of the 2026 Common Law Admission Test question paper and answer key ahead of the exam (held on December 7).The petitioners seek a re-examination in case the allegations are found to be true.Filed by a ground of CLAT aspirants from Scheduled Caste, Other Backward Class and economically weaker sections categories, apprehending prejudice, the plea is triggered by videos, images, etc. circulating on social media platforms, prima facie indicating that the question paper got leaked ahead of the exam.The petitioners assert that a level playing field is a sine qua non of any public competitive exam, but in case of CLAT 2026, the scale of circulation of the online material suggests that sanctity of the exam was irreparably compromised.The plea cites urgency, highlighting that the first allotment list is scheduled to be published on January 7. If counselling is conducted and seats get allotted, without an independent examination into the alleged paper leak, deserving students may get displaced with irreparable consequences.As per claims, on December 6, about 15 hours before the exam, images carrying date and time-stamps started circulating online, which contained admissions from students who were able to illegally obtain the paper and messages from a person offering the paper in exchange for some payment.After the exam, the Consortium of NLUs put in place a grievance redressal portal, statedly chaired by retired Supreme Court judge-Justice MR Shah, to address grievances related to the exam. Though concerns about the alleged leak were raised by many students through the portal, no enquiry report or clarification came forth.In support, the petitioners cite the decisions in Tanvi Sarwal v. CBSE and Nidhi Kaim v. State of MP. In Tanvi Sarwal, the top Court cancelled All India Pre-Medical 2015 for 6 lakh students after finding that 44 candidates were beneficiaries of unfair means and directed re-examination.It is averred that where sanctity of an exam stands compromised due to leakage or irregularities, the entire process is vitiated as merit becomes a "casualty" and guarantee of equal opportunity under Article 14 of the Constitution is defeated.The petition has been filed through AoR Mavika Kapila.Case Title: LALIT PRATAP SINGH vs. CONSORTIUM OF NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITIES, Diary No.407/2026

Plea In Supreme Court Alleges Paper Leak In CLAT 2026; Seeks Probe

Debby Jain

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