The Kerala High Court issued notice in a case challenging the compulsory deposit of ₹50,000 fee required to be paid by candidates of the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) 2021 in order to be considered for admission to seats in National Law Universities (NLUs). Justice Anu Sivaraman issued notice to the Bar Council of India and the Consortium of NLUs on a plea filed by candidates of CLAT 2021.
The Petitioners contended that the fees was violated their fundamental rights to equality and personal liberty. Since the amount is to be paid before the admission of the candidate into any university, it is not possible to avail loan for the amount from financial institutions. This amount is required to be remitted within one day of receiving intimation about the counselling. As a consequence, students from financially unsound backgrounds find it difficult to arrange for the amount at such short notice. Candidates are not considered for admission during the allotment process if the payment is not made, irrespective of the marks scored.
The Petitioners also pointed out that the Consortium of NLUs did not have a common prospectus. However, each university has its own prospectus, none of which mention the amount of ₹50,000 to be paid as a prerequisite for the candidate to be considered for admission.
The counselling registration process is scheduled to take place until 12 pm on 30th July, 2021. The first allotment process is scheduled to take place between August 1 to 5.
The case will next be heard on 30th July, 2021.
