CUET Not Mandatory For Central Universities: Union Govt To Delhi High Court In PIL Against CLAT Based LLB Admissions By DU

The Union Government has informed the Delhi High Court that Common University Entrance Test (CUET) is not mandatory for Central Universities and that they enjoy autonomy in the matter of admission.

The submission was made before a division bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Sanjeev Narula while responding to a PIL challenging Delhi University’s decision to offer admission in its newly introduced five-year integrated law courses solely on the basis of CLAT-UG 2023 score.

On the other hand, the University Grants Commission took a contrary stand and submitted that it is mandatory for all the Central Universities to adhere to the CUET score for admission to UG or PG programmes.

The court granted one weeks’ time to the UGC as well as the Union Government to file a detailed counter affidavit in the matter.

The court also asked the University of Delhi to file a supplementary counter affidavit in case it desires to do so and listed the matter for hearing on September 12.

Earlier this month, the bench had told the varsity that when other Central Universities are offering admissions on the basis of CUET score, then it is not 'special' to make admissions in the newly introduced five-year integrated law courses solely on the basis of CLAT result.

The petition has been moved by Prince Singh, a student of Delhi University, Faculty of Law. 

It is Singh’s case that the varsity, while issuing the impugned notification, has imposed an “unreasonable and arbitrary condition” that the admission to five-year integrated law courses shall be solely based upon merit in the CLAT- UG 2023 result, which is violative of the right to equality under Article 14 and right to education under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.

“That the condition imposed for admission to the Five-year Integrated Law Courses at the Faculty of Law, University of Delhi is wholly unreasonable and arbitrary. It lacks any intelligible differentia and has no rational nexus with the object of admission to the Five-year Integrated Law Courses at the Faculty of Law, University of Delhi,” the plea reads.

The respondents in the PIL are Faculty of Law of Delhi University, Vice Chancellor of the varsity, University Grants Commission and Union of India through Ministry of Education.

Case Title: Prince Singh v. Faculty of Law, University of Delhi & Ors.

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