In Delhi HC CLAT 2025 Results: The Delhi High Court has given this direction Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) to revisit General Law Entrance Examination (CLAT) 2025 Merit List, originally published on December 7, 2024.
The court’s order came after a writ petition challenging the final answer key for the CLAT 2025 graduation exam and seeking revision of the result by the petitioner. The petitioner argued that the discrepancy in the answer key affected their ranking, potentially affecting admissions to more prestigious institutions.
Errors identified in CLAT 2025 question paper
The court identified important issues with two specific questions in Set A of the CLAT 2025 exam paper:
Question 14: Justice Jyoti Singh upheld the petitioner’s contention, agreeing with the expert committee’s assessment that option ‘C’ was the correct answer. The court ordered that marks should be awarded to all candidates who opt for this option.
“Since the court has upheld option ‘C’ as the correct answer, which was also the view of the expert committee, the benefit cannot be restricted to the applicant and will be extended to all candidates who choose option ‘C’.” The judgment is delivered as reported by the Bar and Bench.
Question 100: The court directed to exclude this question from evaluation. It accepted the expert committee’s advice, citing glaring errors that rendered the question invalid.
Implications for other CLAT 2025 candidates
The court order required revisions in the merit list affecting all candidates attempting these questions. Justice Singh emphasized that it was unfair to ignore such glaring errors. Consequently, the consortium of NLUs is directed to extend the revised marking scheme not only to the petitioner but to all the affected candidates.
The court’s intervention is also sought for other contested questions including Nos. 37, 67, 68, 89, 99 and 102 in the petition of the petitioner. In the preliminary review process, the objections to questions 89, 99 and 102 above have been kept intact, so it is also demanded in the petition. Correction of the remaining disputed questions and re-evaluation of marks and rank of the applicant.
Additionally, the petition raised concerns about the transparency of the evaluation process and CLAT 2025 final answer key. A representation highlighting these anomalies was submitted on December 9, 2024, along with demands to constitute a Grievance Redressal Committee to address candidate grievances.
The Court’s position on judicial intervention
While the Supreme Court has repeatedly warned against interference in academic matters, the Delhi High Court justified its interference because of the obvious nature of the errors in the answer key. The judgment highlights that courts must exercise restraint but can act when a clear error compromises the fairness of the outcome.
Consortium’s response and next steps
The consortium of NLUs accepted the court’s direction and announced a delay in the release of the first admission list, which was initially scheduled for December 26, 2024. According to various media reports and social media reactions of the candidates, the consortium is consulting legal experts. Determine the most appropriate course of action. In its communication to candidates, the consortium reportedly said, “We acknowledge that this development may create some uncertainty, and we assure you that the consortium is committed to ensuring transparency and fairness in the process.”