SC seeks solution to redress complaints of CLAT aspirants

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS) to bring certain measures or solution to redress the complaints of law candidates who appeared for Common Law Admission Test 2018 (CLAT). While hearing the petition filed by six CLAT candidates, the SC asked the High Courts not to proceed with similar cases pending before them. 

The six CLAT candidates had sought direction to quash the CLAT 2018 conducted by NUALS on May 13 with the assistance of private firm Sify Technologies Ltd and to hold it afresh. They had urged for a stay on the publication of final result-cum-merit list till the disposal of their petitions.

A bench of Justice AM Khanwilkar and Justice Navin Sinha said there has to be a mechanism or redressal forum to look into the 251 complaints filed by the candidates.

"If such a dispute arises, is there a mechanism wherein these cases can be looked into and addressed so that candidates can be satisfied?" the court said and asked Kochi-based NUALS to come up with a wholesome solution by Friday.

"There should be some forum where the factual aspects can be looked into. Case-to-case questions will have to be looked into. They (NUALS) can appoint some authority to look into the case-to-case aspects and that will ease a lot of problems," the court added.

The petitioners had moved the apex court on Wednesday and pleaded that examinees faced many technical problems during the online test, besides poor infrastructure at examination centres and lack of proper guidance from the staff.

The petitioners submitted that candidates across states faced serious problems at almost 200 online examination centres and said that the prerequisites of proper electronic and online infrastructure were not made available in the conduct of the exam.

The manner in which the examination was held had jeopardised the future of thousands of students who took the examination, they pleaded.

"For instance, at an examination centre at Hisar in Haryana, some students were seen attempting the examination till 7 pm whereas the exam was expected to conclude by 5 pm. In essence, it is submitted that the petitioners and thousands of other similarly placed students were compelled to take the examination under grossly unfair conditions, seriously jeopardizing their result," the petitioner submitted.

(With IANS inputs)