Jahanvi Agarwal
The Delhi High Court has been informed by the Bar Council of India that providing the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) in regional languages will enable more people to pursue a career in law.
The Lawyers’ body has backed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that aims to hold CLAT-UG 2024 in more regional languages in addition to English, as specified in the eighth schedule of the Indian Constitution.
BCI stated in its affidavit that:
“That the Bar Council of India supports the issue raised by Petitioner for conducting the CLAT examination in languages other than English as the same will give opportunities to more citizens of the country to appear in the exam and pursue law as career.”
The All India Bar Examination (AIBE), which took place on February 5, was determined to be conducted in 23 languages, including English and other regional languages, according to BCI.
The Consortium of National Law Universities recently informed the court in an affidavit that it is “nearly impossible” to hold the CLAT 2024 examination in regional languages, which is planned to take place in December. However, the Consortium has previously stated that, after careful consideration, it will be able to design a well-considered path for the “eventual introduction” of more languages in the test in the upcoming months.
Sudhanshu Pathak, a Delhi University law student, has filed the petition. He is represented by Advocates Akash Vajpai and Sakshi Raghav.
The plea raises the claim that students with educational backgrounds based in regional languages are not given a “level playing field” by the CLAT test. It has been argued that the practice of only offering the CLAT (UG) test in English violates Articles 14 and 29(2) of the Indian Constitution by being arbitrary and discriminatory.
Additionally, the petitioner highlights a recent IDIA Trust survey indicating that over 95% of the students it questioned attended secondary and higher secondary levels where English was the primary language of teaching.
Additionally, it has been argued that the mother tongue requirement must be used in schools and higher education facilities in accordance with the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act of 2009 and the new Education Policy of 2020.
Case Name: Sudhanshu Pathak v. Consortium of National Law Universities Through Secretary & Ors