The Supreme Court has put its foot down and refused to stay the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) 2018 counselling. The apex court's vacation bench, headed by Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and also comprising Justice Ashok Bhushan, said it would hear the matter again on Monday, June 11.
CLAT exams are conducted for admission to undergraduate and postgraduate law courses in 19 National Law School of India Universities (NLUs). This year it was administered by the National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS), Kochi on May 13.
Last week, the court refused to stay the results of the exams after hearing six pleas, filed by the candidates who had appeared for the CLAT, seeking direction to quash the May 13 examination and hold it afresh.
The petitioners moved the top court saying that the CLAT aspirants reportedly faced various technical problems during the online examination, coupled with lack of proper guidance from staff members and sub-standard infrastructure at the examination centres.
They claimed that the candidates who came from different states to attend the test at about 200 online examination centres were not provided proper electronic equipment during the exam. Petitions were filed in various High Courts all over the country before petitioners moved to the Supreme Court as well.
The court, after hearing the matter directed the NUALS to look into the matter and address the grievances of the students. In today's verdict, the court asked the NLUs to go ahead with the counselling and allotment but said that the final list would be subject to the outcome of the petition. The first list is due to be published tomorrow i.e. June 7.
The NUALS also submitted its report on the grievances raised to the SC and was asked by the court to provide copies of the same to all the petitioners.
[With inputs from ANI]
