Compensatory marks for technical glitches in CLAT; No re-test will be held says SC

A big relief for 4,690 aspiring law students, as the Supreme Court on Wednesday, directed the National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS) to award the technical glitch hit CLAT students with compensatory marks for the loss of valuable time and prepare a revised merit list.

The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) was held on May 13, 2018, to shortlist candidates for admission in 19 Law Schools across the country. However, on the exam day, many students complained that they were not able to complete the test on time due to technical glitches such as power cuts, login issues, sudden shutdowns and slow computers.

About 54,450 aspirants who took the exam, approached the Supreme Court, seeking a re-test. The court, however, said no to re-test but directed the Kochi-based Central law institute to form a panel to go into the issue.

The Supreme Court has now directed the NUALS, which conducts the exam, to award compensatory marks on a pro rata basis and prepare a revised merit list by June 15, 2018. However, the Court has said that this should not interfere with the first round of counseling, which is in progress. The students, whose marks are being adjusted, will be accommodated in the next round of counseling.

The exam conducting body will compensate for the marks due to loss of time in CLAT 2018 on the basis of the candidate’s performance in the entrance examination by taking into account number of correct and incorrect answers given by him/her.

The Court further expressed its anxiety on the manner in which CLAT 2018 was conducted, and directed the Centre to appoint a committee to conduct an inquiry and take action against Sify Technologies, a private company which was given the contract to conduct the exam. It has asked the committee to file a detailed report within three months before it to prevent any such error in the future.

CLAT 2018 was full of errors and for sure many students worked hard for it. What do you think of the Court’s decision? What do you think they should do to avoid any such glitches in the coming year? Let us know your opinion in the comment section below.