SC directs NLU Consortium to publish CLAT scribe guidelines in advance

While hearing a plea filed by advocate and disability-rights activist Arnab Roy challenging the recently introduced rules on scribes for CLAT 2023, the top court has directed the Consortium of NLUs to publish guidelines for facilities extended to PwD candidates in CLAT by the time when the exam is notified.

Supreme Court has directed the Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) to publish guidelines for facilities extended to PwD candidates appearing in the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT), by the time this year's exam is notified.

In response to the plea filed by advocate and disability-rights activist Arnab Roy challenging the recently introduced rules on scribes for CLAT 2023, a Bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala noted that the Consortium can modify such guidelines in the future so as to preserve the integrity of the examination.

"We direct that for the future guidelines which will be applicable to PwD [Persons-with-disabilities] candidates should be in public domain much earlier, during advertisement of the exam, and reasonable accommodation can be made available to them to ensure they are not left in uncertainty...The nature and content of the guidelines cannot be frozen for the future and the Consortium is at liberty to modify the guidelines keeping in mind the evolving nature of the rights of the PwD candidates, and in case of any more difficulty consortium may be approached for remedies," the Court said, as reported by Bar and Bench.

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