CLAT 2014 registration Started; All you want to know about CLAT 2014 Online Registration

The online Registration for Common Law Admission Test [CLAT] has started in the official website yesterday. The CLAT-2014 Online Application Form will be accessible on the CLAT website between 1st January, 2014 and 31st March, 2014 along with the Information Brochure. No hard copy of the Application Form and Information Brochure will be sold this time. CLAT-2014 Information Brochure (not the application form) will also be accessible from the respective website of all the participating NLUs. This year Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) will be conducted by the Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar.

The 14 participating NLUs in CLAT 2014 in the order of their establishment are:

1. National Law School of India University, Bangalore (NLSIU)

2. National Academy of Legal Study & Research (NALSAR) University of Law, Hyderabad

3. National Law Institute University, Bhopal (NLIU)

4. The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata (WBNUJS)

5. National Law University, Jodhpur (NLUJ)

6. Hidayatullah National Law University, Raipur (HNLU)

7. Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar (GNLU)

8. Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Lucknow (RMLNLU)

9. Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Patiala (RGNUL)

10. Chanakya National Law University, Patna (CNLU)

11. National University of Advanced Legal Studies, Kochi (NUALS)

12. National Law University Odisha, Cuttack (NLUO)

13. National University of Study & Research in Law, Ranchi (NUSRL)

14. National Law University & Judicial Academy, Assam, Guwahati (NLUJAA)

Mode of Payment through CLAT Website

A candidate will have to make payment on three occasions through CLAT website viz, (i) submitting the Online Application Form (ii) if interested in downloading the Previous Year's Question papers and (iii) while participating in the counselling session. The mode of payment through the website is both online and offline.

The online payment can be made through net-banking, debit card, credit card etc. wherein the candidate will have to bear the additional transaction costs for remitting the fees through payment gateways.

For paying the fees offline through website, the candidate will have to download the 'Bank Challan' that will be generated with the required information, as filled in by the candidate, and make the payment with additional bank charges at any branch of the SBI. After making the requisite payment at the bank, the candidate needs to upload the scanned PDF copy of the 'Bank Challan' and also fill-in the details as required at the relevant section of the website.

Fees

The fees to be remitted while submitting the Online Application Form of CLAT-2014 for General/OBC/PWD and other category candidates is `4000/- (for SC and ST category candidates it is `3500/-), excluding the bank charges or additional transaction costs for remitting the fees offline/online through payment gateways.

Mode of Application

(i) There is only one mode of application i.e. online which can be accessed by a candidate after registering self on the CLAT website by creating a LOGIN ACCOUNT. The Online Application Form can be submitted only between 1st January, 2014 and 31st March, 2014 (11:59 p.m.). The submitted Online Application Form in PDF format and other details will be available and accessible in the LOGIN ACCOUNT of the candidate.

(ii) No copies of the filled in Online Application Form or uploaded certificates/documents need to be sent to the CLAT Office.

(iii) The Hall-Ticket/Admit Card may be accessed / downloaded by the candidate in the personal LOGIN ACCOUNT. The candidate is required to take the printout of the Hall-Ticket / Admit Card to the Examination Hall.

(iv) Candidates applying must visit and carefully read the instructions given in the CLAT-2014 website

(v) Incomplete application or application in any mode other than online or application after the last date and time shall not be considered. It shall be the obligation of the candidate to fill the Online Application Form in a timely manner and the Organizing University, i.e. GNLU, Gandhinagar shall not be responsible in anyway.

Instructions regarding online application

1. There are two distinct Online Application Forms for the UG and PG programmes, which can be accessed by the candidate on the basis of the information submitted during their registration.

2. It is compulsory to validate your mobile number with OTP for successful registration.

3. On successful registration by the candidate, an email will be sent to candidate containing username and password.

4. The username and password must not be shared with anyone. The candidate will be solely responsible if the password is misused. The Organizing University shall not be responsible if your password is misused by any other person.

5. The candidate will be required to fill in all the details mentioned in the Online Application Form.

6. All fields marked with a * are mandatory.

7. The relevant attested photocopies of the certificates/documents in support of one's claim for admission need to be uploaded while filling the Online Application Form. The photocopies of documents need to be attested by a Gazetted Officer not related to the candidate.

8. File size of each document should not exceed 100 KB. Allowed file extensions for passport photo, candidate signature, parent signature : .gif, .jpeg, .jpg. Allowed fileextensions for other documents: .pdf, .gif, .jpeg, .jpg.

9. In the Payment section you may pay using a credit/debit card or internet banking facility provided by your bank. Please confirm with your bank/credit card company that the transaction has been successfully completed.

10. Please do not click the Back button on your browser or refresh the page during this process.

Documents to be uploaded during Online Application

The original certificates/documents issued by the competent authority as specified in the CLAT- 2014 Information Brochure are to be submitted to the allotted University only at the time of admission. The relevant attested photocopies of the certificates/documents in support of one's claim for admission are to be uploaded while filling the Online Application Form. The photocopies of documents need to be attested by a Gazetted Officer not related to the candidate.

(i) The scanned attested photocopies of the documents to be uploaded in the PDF format (or as specified) by all the candidates are:

(a) Birth Certificate

(b) Standard X Mark sheet

(c) Qualifying Examination Mark sheet/Certificate such as 10+2 or its equivalent examination certificate from a recognized Board (for UG Courses).

(d) Qualifying Examination Mark sheet/Certificate such as LL.B. or its equivalent examination certificate from a recognized University (for PG Courses).

(e) Passport size photograph (3.5 cms x 4.5 cms) [JPG Format]

(f) Signature of candidate [JPG Format]

(g) Signature of parent/guardian [JPG Format]

(ii) The scanned attested photocopies of the documents to be uploaded in the PDF format by a candidate depending on the applicability are:

(a) Category Certificate (SC/ST/OBC)

(b) Disability Certificate (Persons With Disability, P.W.D.)

(c) Special Category certificate like E.B.C.; B.C.; W.B.C.; D.F.F.; S.E.B.C.; Ancestral residents of village Sidhuwal, District Patiala; Son / Daughter of Defense Personnel Deployed in U.P. or Defense Personnel of U.P. either retired or killed/ disabled in action; Dependant of Freedom Fighter of U.P. and Kashmiri Migrant.

(d) Certificates in support of One's Claim for NRI/NRI Sponsored Candidate.

(e) Domicile Certificate in support of one's claim for consideration under State Quota

The certificates/documents listed above are essential requirements for admission to the UG and PG courses. In addition to the above, the candidates may be required to submit such other certificates/documents as may be specified by various Universities in their respective websites and also in the Instructions for Admission to UG/PG Programmes issued along with the List of Allotted Candidates from time to time. Further, the candidates will also be required to submit Photocopies of the relevant certificates/documents as may be specified/ required by the concerned universities.

Important Points to be Noted by the Candidates

1. Information regarding details of intake, reservation and the courses offered along with the fee structure is available in the CLAT-2014 Information Brochure and on the CLAT-2014 website and the websites of the concerned NLUs. The candidates are therefore advised to carefully go through the rules and fee structures of participating NLUs before filling the application form for UG as well as PG courses, and for the NRI/NRI Sponsored and Foreign National seats.

2. Information in the Information Brochure regarding intake, reservation, courses offered and the subjects taught at various levels including the areas of specialization, etc. are in brief. For detailed information, the candidates are required to take a look at the information provided in the websites of the member NLUs of CLAT-2014.

3. Definition of disability for the purpose of admission shall be in accordance with Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995. Disability in the act is defined to include: Blindness, low vision, leprosy cured, hearing impairment, loco-motor disability, mental disability or illness. A candidate will have to produce disability certificate from competent authority in accordance with the provisions of the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995, at the time of admission.

4. Candidates with disabilities appearing in the Common Law Admission Test shall be entitled to an additional time of 40 minutes.

5. The candidates having impairment and those who require a scribe to write the test should intimate the same at the relevant section in the Online Application Form, citing reasonable cause and attaching attested photocopies (by a Gazetted Officer) of the relevant supporting documents such as:

(a) A certificate of impairment from the competent authority

(b) A statement indicating whether the scribe will be brought by the candidate or to be arranged by the CLAT authorities. The educational qualification of the scribe should be at least one standard lower than 10+2.

(c) A declaration from the candidates that they will not request at any point of time the scribe to help them with the answers other than the normal process of reading the questions and helping them write and darken the correct answer. Further if they are bringing their own scribe, they will have to declare that the selected scribe fulfils all the pre-requisites.

(d) Documentary evidence regarding the educational qualification of the scribe (e.g.. school certificate or school identity card)

(e) A declaration from the scribe (if brought by the candidate) that the scribe complies with the pre-requisites and he/she will not in any way help the candidate answer any question in the paper, apart from his/her regular duty of reading out the questions and writing and darkening the correct answers.

6. For details relating to the definition of NRI/NRI sponsored candidates and the number of seats available for them, please see the information provided by the participating NLUs in the CLAT-2014 Information Brochure and their respective websites.

7. Some of the Universities will admit the NRI candidates directly whereas others will do it through CLAT-2014. Please carefully read the information provided by the participating NLUs on the subject in the CLAT-2014 Information Brochure and on the CLAT-2014 website (www.clat.ac.in).

8. Only Indian nationals/NRIs are allowed to appear in the CLAT-2014. Foreign nationals are not permitted to appear in CLAT-2014. The foreign nationals desirous of taking admission to any course in any of the participating NLUs may directly contact the concerned University having seats for foreign nationals.

9. In the event of insufficient number of candidates opting to appear from a particular Test Centre, the Convener, CLAT-2014, reserves the right to cancel such a centre and shift the applicants to another nearby centre or to a centre according to the candidate's second or third preference.

10. Information such as the category of candidate, the centre of the Entrance Test and the preferences for various universities given by the candidates in the Online Application Form shall be final and will not be changed thereafter.

11. As the publication of result and allotment of seats will be made on merit-cum-preference basis according to the information furnished in the Online Application Form and during the Counselling Session, the candidates are required to read the instructions carefully and furnish correct and authentic information. In case the information furnished at any stage of admission process is found false or incorrect or there is any discrepancy or mismatch between the information furnished by the candidate at the relevant section and the certificates/documents produced at the time of admission, the provisional admission offered to the candidate shall be cancelled as per the declaration given in the Online Application Form and at other relevant places without assigning any further reason.

12. During the counselling session, it is mandatory for all candidates to fill in all the available choices of National Law Universities for the UG and PG courses in order of their preference. Failure to do so would result in rejection. Choices once made will not be changed later.

13. There shall be a centralized admission process for CLAT-2014 on the basis of merit-cum-preference. All admissions shall be centrally done through the Organizing University, i.e. Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The information relating to various dates of the admission shall be placed on CLAT-2014 website (www.clat.ac.in) from time to time.

14. The basic principle of admission through CLAT-2014 is merit-cum-preference. However, if a candidate, at any stage of the allotment process, wants to forego his claim for the next higher preference and wants to stay with and take admission in the allotted University, or wants to leave the admission process he/she will be given the option to do so. To exercise this option, the candidate will have to mention the same within the prescribed time limit at the relevant section of the website. However, this option exercised once by the candidate will be treated as final and irrevocable, and the candidate will be deemed to have been admitted in the University opted as such by him/her or out of the admission process, as applicable.

15. All offers of admission by CLAT-2014 shall be provisional and shall not create any right of admission in favour of a candidate. The organizing university will not be responsible for any inconvenience caused or expenditure incurred by the candidate on travel and stay, etc.

16. The first 2500 candidates (comprising 40% extra candidates proportionately from various categories such as General/SC/ST/OBC/PWD etc.) will be permitted to take part in the counselling session only after depositing the required amount of fees. If the candidates allowed to participate in the counselling session do not deposit the required amount of adjustable fees (i.e. ` 1,00,000/-) and do not take part in the online counselling session with the CLAT office by the stipulated date, they will forfeit their right to be considered for admission to the UG courses in future and their names will be dropped from the CLAT Merit List for the purpose of admission. Same rule is applicable for candidates appearing for admission to PG courses through CLAT-2014, except that the amount shall be ' 65,000/-.

17. Provisional Allotment List/Waiting List will be prepared only on the basis of the counselling session undertaken by the candidates and the details filled-in by the candidates in the Online Application Form. When a candidate's name appears in the Provisional Allotment List the candidate will have to confirm his/her intention/seriousness to take admission or to be considered against the future vacancies, if any, with the CLAT Office through the CLAT website. The candidates who fail to do so by the specified date and time will forfeit their right to be considered for admission and their names will be dropped from the CLAT Merit List for the purpose of admission.

18. The candidates taking part in the counselling session after depositing the required amount of fees through the website (online/offline) by the stipulated date and appear in the waiting list and later if such candidates fail to get a seat in any of the Universities due to non-availability of vacancy, the entire amount of ` 1,00,000/- /- (or ` 65,000/-, as applicable) deposited by such candidates will be refunded to them without any deduction within one month from the publication of the overall Final Actual Allotment List or by 31st July, 2014, whichever is later. Fees shall be refunded in the form of a cheque to be issued by Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar, Gujarat (Convener, CLAT-2014) in the name of the candidate only.

19. The fees applicable for SC/ST category (a concessional amount) cannot be used by a candidate for applying under any other category. If he/she does so, the application form shall be rejected.

20. In order to avail the facility of reservation under state quota (based on one's domicile), the candidate must submit the original caste certificate issued by competent authority from the state of one's domicile. For example, a SC/ST or OBC candidate from Odisha, who has been staying in Chhattisgarh for several years and has legally been issued a domicile certificate by a competent authority of the State of Chhattisgarh, cannot claim reservation under Chhattisgarh State SC/ST and OBC category by producing a caste certificate issued by the Government of Odisha. However, he can avail reservation under Chhattisgarh State General Category seats by producing the Domicile certificate from the State of Chhattisgarh. To avail the reservation under Chhattisgarh State SC/ST or OBC quota, the candidate has to produce a SC/ST or OBC certificate issued by a competent authority from the State of Chhattisgarh.

Syllabus and Pattern; [Under Graduate]

Previous Question papers;

Previous Year's Question Booklets for UG and PG courses will be available at the participating Universities including the Organizing University (i.e. GNLU, Gandhinagar) at a cost of `250/- per booklet. The Question Booklets will also be made available on the CLAT Website (www.clat.ac.in) and can be downloaded by making online/offline payment of `250/- through the website (excluding the bank transaction costs for remitting the charges online/offline). In case, the question papers are to be sent on request through speed post by the Organizing University, the candidate will have to bear an additional cost of `150/- towards the postage charges.

Source; www.clat.ac.in

M.A.Rashid and Nisa Fasil are the authors of "ULTIMATE GUIDE TO LLB ENTRANCE [CLAT] 2014" published by LexisNexis