The Supreme Court’s decision to quash the National Law Aptitude Test (NLAT) 2020 – the separate entrance test conducted by the National Law School of India University, Bengaluru (NLSIU) – has come as a relief to many candidates who attempted the competitive examination earlier this month under extremely stressful circumstances.
At the same time, many expressed anger over the fact that they were made to go through the exercise not once but twice after NLSIU held a re-test. The law school announced on September 3 that it would not be following CLAT 2020, but was conducting its own exam.
“We were given very short notice. The format was changed to include a shorter duration and fewer questions than the proposed format of CLAT 2020. It was like we were preparing for a test cricket match and all of a sudden asked to play T-20,” said one candidate.
Over 23,000 aspirants from across the country took the NLAT on September 12. However, after candidates complained of technical glitches resulting in many unable to take the test, NLSIU conducted a re-test on September 14 for such students. There were also reports of alleged malpractice, inefficient and ineffective proctoring systems. and leak of questions.
Candidates said they were fed up and exhausted with entrance exams, and such “unwarranted and unnecessary” actions by an institution could have been avoided with better coordination.
“I was familiar with the format of CLAT and was preparing for over a year. Then NLAT was announced all of a sudden, and the format was different. That affected me psychologically. Unfortunately, I could not attempt both the exams,” a student said adding that many of her friends who had not attempted NLAT, would now stand a chance to get into NLSIU.
However, a teacher from a private coaching class told The Hindu that a few of their students were unhappy with the decision as they felt they had aced the NLAT. “We had advised all our students not to lose focus on CLAT, as we had anticipated this judgment,” the teacher said.
Students to be reimbursed
Students will be refunded a portion of tge money they paid to appear for the exam.
“They may expect refunds, after a deduction of ₹75 as application processing charge, to reach them in the next 9-14 working days,” said NLSIU in a release.
Students who applied through NLAT had to pay ₹150, while those from SC and ST communities had to pay ₹125.
“More than the money, the last-minute panic and tension the new test created was difficult,” said one candidate.
NLSIU to implement judgment in ‘letter and spirit’
The NLSIU, in a statement issued on Monday, said it would implement the judgment and orders of the Supreme Court in “letter and spirit”, and that it would take the necessary steps to welcome the new batch of students.
While announcing its decision to hold NLAT 2020, the law school cited the repeated postponement of CLAT 2020, which had “resulted in uncertainty for students, parents and the participating universities”. It follows a trimester system where every academic year is made up of three terms of 90 days, which would be delayed if the admission process was not completed by the end of September.
“At a faculty meeting held earlier on Monday, the faculty resolved that the university will do everything possible to respect its founding commitment to a trimester based academic calendar, and maintain the highest academic rigour and standards,” the release stated.
