HC seeks responses of DU, Centre to plea against decision to offer admissions to 5-year law courses based on CLAT score
The plea states that through the notification DU has imposed a ‘wholly unreasonable and arbitrary condition’ that the admission to five-year integrated law courses shall be solely based upon merit in the CLAT-UG 2023 result
4 min read
During the course of the hearing, the bench orally observed that under the National Education Policy, once a decision is taken by the Government of India, Ministry of Education, that admissions in central universities are to be done on the basis of the Common University Entrance Test (CUET), then DU was “not special”. (File) The Delhi High Court on Thursday granted time to Delhi University and the Centre to file their responses to a plea against the university’s decision to offer admission in its five-year integrated law courses based on the result of the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT UG) 2023.
A bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Sanjeev Narula said, “It is made clear that in case no counter affidavit is filed, the matter will be heard on the question of grant of interim relief”.
The matter is listed for August 25. The court also granted time to the Centre’s counsel to file its “reply or take instructions” in the matter.
During the course of the hearing, the bench orally observed that under the National Education Policy, once a decision is taken by the Government of India, Ministry of Education, that admissions in central universities are to be done on the basis of the Common University Entrance Test (CUET), then DU was “not special”.
DU’s counsel argued that a special committee was constituted by the vice-chancellor and that the committee of experts gave a report after discussions. He said the report was submitted to the academic council and the executive council as well.
He submitted that the DU had not given any timeline yet with respect to admissions in the law courses. “It is not as if we are rushing the process. We haven’t started the admission process yet,” he said.
The petitioner in person—Prince Singh, a student of the Faculty of Law—said that DU should bring the minutes of the meeting pertaining to the decision and the rationale behind it.
DU’s counsel said that the university would not issue any advertisement regarding applications for CLAT-based admissions to the five-year law course till the next date of hearing.
The PIL petition, which challenges a DU notification of August 4, seeks that admissions to the five-year integrated law courses be done through the CUET UG 2023. The notification states that DU’s Faculty of Law introduced the “Five-Year Integrated Law Courses – BA LLB(Hons) and BBA LLB (Hons)” – from the academic year 2023-2024.
“The Bar Council of India in its letter dated 26.07.2023 has accorded its approval of 60 seats for BA LLB (Hons) and 60 seats for BBA LLB (Hons). Admission to BA LLB (Hons) and BBA LLB (Hons) shall be based on merit in the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) UG 2023 result. The classes for BA LLB (Hons) and BBA LLB (Hons) courses will be held at Faculty of Law, Kanad Bhawan, North Campus, University of Delhi. The online application for admission to BA LLB (Hons) and BBA LLB (Hons) courses will be announced by the University soon,” the notification states.
The plea states that with the August 4 notification, DU has imposed a “wholly unreasonable and arbitrary condition” that the admission to five-year integrated law courses shall be solely based upon merit in the CLAT-UG 2023 result, which is violative of the right to equality under Article 14 and the right to education under Article 21 of the Constitution.
“That the condition imposed for admission to the five-year integrated law courses at the Faculty of Law, University of Delhi, is wholly unreasonable and arbitrary. It lacks any intelligible differentia and has no rational nexus with the object of admission to the five-year integrated law courses at the Faculty of Law, University of Delhi,” the plea adds.
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