The Delhi High Court on Monday granted the Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) two weeks to submit its response to multiple petitions contesting the results of the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) for NLU admissions nationwide. 

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela emphasized the urgency of the matter, acknowledging the significant anxiety among students and assuring that the case would be heard at the earliest.

"We can hear the matter in two batches. There is a lot of anxiety among the students, who are young. Their board examinations are going on. Because of this uncertainty, there is a lot of stress ... Let them (NLU Consortium) file the (reply) affidavit. We just want to facilitate as to how early and how smoothly the proceedings can start," Chief Justice Upadhyaya said during the hearing today.

The Court further stated that the case will be heard in two batches, as it involves two distinct challenges—one related to the CLAT undergraduate admissions (CLAT UG) and the other concerning postgraduate admissions (CLAT PG).  

To ensure a streamlined hearing, these matters will be clubbed together. The NLU Consortium, which conducts the exam, accepted notice in the case today.

The Court also clarified that it will not entertain duplicate submissions, given that multiple students have filed petitions raising similar concerns regarding the CLAT.

"We cannot allow all of you argue, there will be duplicity. We can appoint a nodal counsel," Justice Gedela explained.

"We will nominate one nodal counsel who will do it (make arguments) in consultation of all of you. Consortium (of NLUs) states that it would file its compilation responding to all the petitions," Chief Justice Upadhayaya added.

The NLU Consortium’s counsel suggested appointing two nodal counsel to represent the petitioners—one for CLAT UG-related challenges and another for CLAT PG matters.  

Taking note of the suggestion, the Court directed the Consortium to submit a note distinguishing between the issues related to CLAT UG and CLAT PG. The next hearing is scheduled for April 7.  

This development follows the Supreme Court’s recent decision to transfer all CLAT 2025-related cases to the Delhi High Court. The move aims to ensure a uniform ruling by a single High Court, preventing conflicting judgments from multiple courts on the same issue.  

The Delhi High Court, in its interim order today, also directed the registry to serve copies of the petitions to the NLU Consortium within three days. Additionally, any new writ petitions received from other High Courts will also be served to the Consortium within two days of their receipt.  

Earlier, on December 20, 2024, Justice Jyoti Singh of the Delhi High Court partially allowed a plea by 17-year-old CLAT candidate Aditya Singh, who had raised concerns about certain errors in the CLAT UG paper. The Court found errors in two out of five disputed questions and directed the Consortium to revise the results accordingly.  

This decision was challenged before a Division Bench, with the NLU Consortium arguing that the single judge had overstepped by acting as an expert. The CLAT candidate also appealed, seeking further revisions to his result. Subsequently, the NLU Consortium approached the Supreme Court, requesting the matter be transferred to the apex court.  

Meanwhile, similar petitions were pending before the Madhya Pradesh and Bombay High Courts, among others. To prevent parallel proceedings, the NLU Consortium urged the Supreme Court to consolidate the cases under a single court. Acknowledging these concerns, the Supreme Court, on February 6, ordered the transfer of all CLAT-related cases to the Delhi High Court.