CLAT 2025 Supreme Court hearing likely to be transferred to Punjab & Haryana High Court: Here’s what happened at today’s hearing – Times of India

The Supreme Court of India, during today’s hearing of the CLAT 2025 Answer Key challenge, proposed transferring all petitions contesting the results of the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT 2025) to the Punjab and Haryana High Court. This decision aims to consolidate multiple cases currently being heard in various High Courts across the country. All parties involved have been directed to present their positions in the next hearing, scheduled for February 2025.

Background on CLAT 2025 answer key challenge

The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT), conducted in December 2024, serves as the primary entrance examination for admissions to undergraduate and postgraduate law programs at National Law Universities (NLUs) across India. Following the announcement of CLAT 2025 results, numerous challenges were filed alleging errors in the answer keys and inconsistencies in the evaluation process. Currently, these cases are being heard in the High Courts of Delhi, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Bombay, Madhya Pradesh, and Punjab and Haryana.

Supreme Court inclined towards transferring all related petitions to Punjab and Haryana High Court

The bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna, along with Justice PV Sanjay Kumar, reviewed transfer petitions filed by the Consortium of National Law Universities. The CLAT Consortium sought to centralise the litigation, arguing that resolving cases in a single High Court would ensure uniformity and expedite the adjudication process.
CJI Khanna emphasised the need for efficiency, saying, “At the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the disposal rate is very good; it is higher than other courts” , LiveLaw reported.
The Solicitor General of India, Tushar Mehta, supported the idea of consolidating the cases but proposed the Karnataka High Court as an alternative. However, the bench appeared inclined toward the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Meanwhile, lawyers representing some petitioners suggested transferring the cases to the Delhi High Court. They referenced a recent Delhi High Court ruling where two CLAT UG 2025 answers were deemed incorrect, prompting the court to direct the Consortium to revise results for specific petitioners. However, CJI Khanna rejected this request, maintaining that centralising the cases in one court was essential for consistent and expedited resolution.

Supreme Court issues interim order, next hearing in February 2025

In its interim order, the bench stated, “The writ petitions pending in different courts should be dealt with by one High Court, as it would be expeditious” according to Live Law. Notices have been issued to all counsels representing petitioners across various High Courts, with a returnable date in the week commencing February 3, 2025.

Earlier order

In December 2024, the Supreme Court declined to entertain a petition challenging the CLAT-PG 2025 answer keys, directing the petitioners to approach the High Court instead. Around the same time, a single-judge bench of the Delhi High Court ruled that two answers in the CLAT-UG 2025 exam were incorrect.
This led to a directive for the Consortium to revise results for the affected petitioners. Although the Consortium’s appeal against this decision was reviewed by a division bench, it did not find any prima facie error in the single bench’s judgment.

What happens next?

The Supreme Court’s decision to transfer the cases to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, if finalised, would bring all CLAT 2025-related disputes under one jurisdiction. This move is expected to streamline the litigation process and ensure consistency in rulings. The February 2025 hearing will provide clarity on whether the proposed transfer is implemented and how the cases will proceed thereafter.