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On Thursday, the Supreme Court ordered that all petitions challenging the results of the 2025 Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) be transferred to the Delhi High Court. This decision aims to streamline the legal process and prevent conflicting judgments. The directive was issued by a bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna, along with Justices Sanjay Kumar and KV Viswanathan.
Petitions Consolidated for Efficiency
The Supreme Court noted that similar cases concerning both undergraduate and postgraduate CLAT-2025 results were pending in multiple high courts, including those of Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Calcutta, Bombay, and Punjab & Haryana. To ensure consistency and expedite the resolution, the court ruled that all such cases be heard in a single forum.
“We are also inclined to pass an omnibus order that in case a similar issue is raised before any other high court in the future, the consortium can file a copy of this order for the transfer of these cases to the Delhi High Court,” the bench stated. The court directed the administrative wings of all affected high courts to transfer pending cases within seven days. The first hearing in the Delhi High Court is scheduled for March 3.
Consortium of National Law Universities Files Transfer Petition
The request for case consolidation was made by the Consortium of National Law Universities (CNLUs), represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and advocate Pritha Srikumar Iyer. The consortium argued that merging the cases would prevent jurisdictional confusion and delays, ensuring a fair and efficient resolution for thousands of candidates who appeared for the exams on December 1 and December 7, 2024.
Legal Scrutiny Over CLAT-2025 Answer Key
The controversy gained traction after a Delhi High Court single judge ruled on December 20, 2024, that the CLAT-2025 results must be revised due to errors in the answer key. This judgment followed a petition by a CLAT candidate challenging the correctness of specific answers. The judge determined that two answers in the official key were incorrect and warned that failing to correct them would be unfair to the test-takers.
The consortium contested this decision, while the petitioner escalated the matter to the division bench, arguing that errors existed in three more questions. On December 24, 2024, the division bench refused to grant interim relief, indicating initial agreement with the single judge’s ruling.
Candidates Raise Concerns Over Procedural Lapses
Beyond the case in Delhi, multiple candidates from different states have challenged the CLAT-2025 results in various high courts. Their grievances include alleged inaccuracies in the answer key, high fees for challenging discrepancies, and procedural irregularities in both the undergraduate and postgraduate entrance exams.
Several petitioners have called for a stay on the result publication, citing concerns over transparency and fairness in the evaluation process. While some high courts have acknowledged these issues, the lack of a uniform directive prompted the Supreme Court to intervene and consolidate proceedings.
With the Supreme Court’s order, all related legal challenges will now be addressed collectively by the Delhi High Court, ensuring a coordinated and consistent approach to resolving the concerns of CLAT-2025 aspirants.
