The Supreme Court on Thursday transferred all petitions challenging the results of the 2025 Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) to the Delhi High Court for "consistent adjudication." A bench led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, along with Justices Sanjay Kumar and K.V. Viswanathan, allowed the transfer petitions filed by the Consortium of National Law Universities (CNLUs). The court directed that all the cases be heard by a division bench of the Delhi High Court on March 3, 2025.
The Supreme Court ordered that the petitions related to both undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) admissions be transferred to the Delhi High Court, where a letter patent appeal is already pending. The records of the cases are to be moved to Delhi High Court within seven days.
The CLAT 2025, conducted in December 2024, is a key exam for admissions to undergraduate and postgraduate law courses in national law universities across India. A number of petitions had been filed in various high courts, raising concerns over the accuracy of several questions in the exam.
The bench also issued a broad directive to transfer any other pending cases in other high courts to the Delhi High Court. "We are also inclined to pass an omnibus order that in case of any other high court or in any other matter, the respondent/CNLUs is entitled to file a copy of this order before the high court for transfer of case to the Delhi High Court," said the bench.
The Supreme Court instructed the registrars of high courts, including Bombay, Karnataka, Punjab and Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, and Calcutta, to ensure the prompt transfer of judicial records related to these pending cases to the Delhi High Court.
Earlier, on January 15, the bench had indicated the possibility of transferring all the petitions to a single high court, initially suggesting the Punjab and Haryana High Court as a potential venue. However, the bench eventually decided that Delhi High Court would be the most appropriate forum to hear the cases.
The Chief Justice of India (CJI) explained that consolidating all the petitions in one court would help ensure a quicker and more consistent resolution of the matters. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the CNLUs, expressed agreement with the transfer but had earlier suggested the Karnataka High Court as a possible venue for hearing the cases.
(With input from PTI)
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
