CLAT 2018: Calcutta HC orders ‘interim’ stay on publication of rank list

NEW DELHI, MAY 23: Adding to the deluge of litigations storming the conduct of CLAT 2018, yet another petition has been filed, this time in Calcutta High Court. The petition has been filed by CLAT 2018 takers from the state, who are apparently the law aspirants from a coaching centre, CLATapult based in Kolkata. Upon hearing from the counsellors of petitioners, Justice Protik Prakash Banerjee, today, passed an interim order directing the National University of Advanced Legal Studies Kochi (NUALS) and CLAT 2018 Core Committee, not to publish any rank list of the Common Law Admission Test till May 25, which is the next date of hearing.

Advocates Lokenath Chatterjee and Subhajit Das appeared before the Calcutta HC for the petitioners.

The pleading

The CLAT 2018 takers have requested the HC to cancel the 13^th May CLAT, even as seeking a re-examination in lieu of the 10-30 minutes time loss of the test takers on account of technical glitches at respective exam centres across the country.

The petitioners have also submitted before the High Court, a list of technical glitches in details as faced by them on the examination date. The list includes varied technical snags, from biometric failure to hanging of computer machines to non-availability of questions and online question navigation problem.

The court’s stay order on CLAT Rank List

The Calcutta HC single bench of Justice Prakash Banerjee directed, “… Meanwhile, CLAT Committee and/or concerned respondents shall not publish the Rank List of the CLAT 2018, without the leave of this Court. I make it clear that this interim order is till May 25, 2018…”

CLAT 2018 Court Cases – The series

A series of similar petitions calling for the re-conduct of the Common Law Admission test has been filed in the High Courts of Delhi, Punjab & Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.

Even the Supreme Court hearing a petition against the ‘alleged-mismanaged’ CLAT 2018 has directed a copy of the petition to be served on NUALS Kochi, the Central Government and the CLAT 2018 Core Committee.

The CLAT 2018 Schedule

According to the CLAT 2018 calendar, the next events scheduled in the national-level law entrance exam are publication of final answer key on May 26 and declaration of results on May 31, 2018.

The admission counselling for undergraduate and postgraduate law programmes in the participating 19 NLUs is to begin from June 7, when the first indicative seat allocation list will be published by the NUALS.

About CLAT 2018

CLAT 2018 was conducted on May 13 by NUALS Kochi heading the 19-NLU Core Committee. The online examination was marred by the alleged technical glitches at centres across India, following which the test takers are seeking justice in the courts against the ‘misconduct’ of CLAT 2018.

The Common Law Admission Test is the national level law exam for admissions to 2300 undergraduate seats on offer in the participating 19 NLUs.