CLAT 2018: After Rajasthan, petition filed in Punjab & Haryana HC

NEW DELHI, MAY 17: After Rajasthan High Court, a similar petition has been filed in the Punjab & Haryana High Court drawing attention towards the ‘irregularities’, ‘mismanagement’ and ‘misconduct’ of CLAT 2018, portrayed by the ‘technical snags’ on the 13^th of May. One of the CLAT 2018 takers, Pranjal Goel, has pleaded in the HC seeking justice against the ‘alleged’ irregularities at his test centre during the conduct of Common Law Admission Test.

In the petition, the pleader has also requested the HC to issue orders for re-conduct of the national-level law entrance exam. He also submitted that he appeared for the CLAT following two years of preparation for the exam.

The allegations

1. The computer machine screen didn’t display CLAT 2018 online question paper for 18 minutes from the commencement of exam.
2. Following the 18-minute delay of non-availability of questions, there was a server issue for next 10 minutes.
3. Several times, the computer machine got hung in between of the 2-hour exam duration exam, due to which the question paper also disappeared for multiple times.
4. On an oral request, the invigilator assured the petitioner that additional time would be given, however, no such ‘promise’ was fulfilled.

The blame

Facing such technical snags, Pranjal Goel could attempt only 132 questions of total 200 in the online paper.

The petitioner also submitted the court that at some CLAT 2018 centres located in Hisar, test takers were given as many as extra time, that the test got over at 7 pm and 8 pm. Therefore, he felt ‘cheated’ as the centre allotted to him was ‘not as fair’ as other centres.

The pleadings

The pleader, further, submitted before the court that a representation of these grievances has been raised to the CLAT 2018 conducting body, National University of Advanced Legal Studies Kochi (NUALS), the Prime Minister’s Office, and the Union HRD Ministry, but in vain.

Thereby, the petitioner prayed the HC to direct NUALS Kochi to conduct a ‘transparent’ afresh exam or to direct NUALS Kochi either grant grace marks in proportion to the loss of time or to consider 132 questions as equivalent to 200 and accordingly calculate percentile.

The Punjab & Haryana High Court will hear Pranjal Goel, the CLAT taker on May 21, 2018.

The story so far

The High Courts are being approached by CLAT 2018 takers, aggrieved by the mismanagement and misconduct of the most sought-after law examination due to technical snags on the test day.

Even as the CLAT takers are approaching High Courts, grievance raising the conduct of CLAT is also being taken up at the Supreme Court in a PIL filed by Prof Shamnad Basheer. The WBNUJS alumnus in the 2015 PIL is arguing at the apex court over the conduct of CLAT to an independent professional body, rather than by the NLUs in a rotation.