The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) 2015 admission process was closed on Tuesday before the Bombay high court order that could result in a merit list reshuffle could be fully implemented.
CLAT’s website announces: “It is for the general information of all concerned that as per the CLAT-2015 calendar, central admission process of CLAT-2015 has been completed on 06/07/2015, therefore, CLAT office stands closed with effect from 07.07.2015.”
However, the Bombay high court had on 2 July ordered an eight-day-process through which the convenor was to arrive at a decision on the alleged inaccuracies in CLAT 2015’s question paper and answer key by constituting an expert panel.
The panel was to give its finding by today, and revise the candidates’ merit list accordingly if applicable in the next four days.
The Chhattisgarh high court had also ordered for experts to examine the postgraduate CLAT question paper.
A source close to the CLAT process today told Legally India that the expert committee has submitted its findings to the convenor, who is expected to make the report public any time now but this would have little consequence for the admission process as classes for the LLB and the LLM programs had begun on 1 July at most national law schools, as scheduled.
“If errors do emerge then merit list will have to be revised but not without giving notice to those already admitted to the colleges - I don’t think courts would indulge into this sort of a thing [of cancelling and redoing admissions]. It is all over this year,” the source claimed.
NLUJAA Guwahati vice chancellor Prof Vijender Kumar commented: “There must be a centralised system in the future with an office in probably Delhi and salaries to staff out of the proceeds of the CLAT. For this year irreparable damage has been done. I cannot imagine how [the students who lose out on seats due to errors] can be compensated. Many have been pushed out of the legal fraternity. It will be losing out on good budding lawyers.”
He said classes for LLB and LLM courses at NLUJAA will start around 20 July but since classes have already begun at other NLUs there was not much use for the expert committee’s report now.
RMLNLU VC Prof Gurdip Singh and CLAT secretariat head and RMLNLU joint registrar Dr JD Gangwar did not respond to calls and messages seeking comment.
Photo by Norbert Schnitzler
Comments
"It is made clear that (CLAT 2015), the whole merit list and all subsequent process, will be subject to outcome of the Expert Panel/Committee's decision, so referred above, which will be taken as early as possible by all concerned, to avoid further delay of any kind."
The order of the Bombay HC quoted extensively from past cases where the merit list was revised and justice was done.
The order also clearly stated:
"The basic issue with regard to the rights and/or entitlement of students referring to the marks, positive and/or negative, in this competitive examination is quite settled. One mark can make can make and/or mar the career of students of his choice [...] The rejection and denial of such mark, if answer is correct, is definitely unacceptable to anyone. We are not inclined to overlook this, in this era of competition, at entrance level of any examination/courses."
Let us not forget: Courts are only reluctant as far as challenging the decision of an "Expert Committee" is concerned. But once the "Expert Committee" itself admits mistakes upon review, there is nothing that will stop the Courts from delivering justice to the students.
There is no doubt the case of CLAT 2015 has till now has smacked only of extraordinary and unprecedented defiance and arrogance in many ways. That is why there is widespread despondency, skepticism and mistrust among the students that there will be a perfect miscarriage and travesty of the justice system in the end in this case.
However, in a democracy, the flame of hope shall burn until the last word in the last Court of the country has been said.
It is the same with bullies in human civilization. By definition, a bully is a person who instead of becoming humble after making a mistake, becomes even more defiant. A bully operates on a reverse psychology -- just like a beast. Attack is his best form of defence.
When a bully is surrounded from all sides, he still does not give up. He does not issue even one line of communication, does not make any constructive engagement, and pretends till the last minute that he is in control. Remember Saddam Hussein? Gaddafi? Hitler? Duryodhana?
In a lawless, anti-democratic society, bullies prosper and thrive. Remember Aurangzeb, under whom the Mughal empire expanded its might dramatically, and whose reign lasted for 49 long years until his death at the ripe old age of 88?
It will be interesting to watch whether this time round, history will repeat the fait accompli of Saddam Hussein or Aurangzeb Alamgir ("universe-seizer").
http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings-articles/university-subject-rankings/top-law-schools-2015
Top even among the top law schools in Asia (China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan and Malaysia feature). In comparison, engineering schools have fared better: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/IISc-finishes-5th-on-QS-BRICS-universities-ranking-2015-31-Indian-institutions-among-top-200/articleshow/48035160.cms