BCI Proposes Conducting: The Bar Council of India (BCI) has submitted an affidavit in response to a PIL requesting that the Common Law Entrance Test (CLAT) be conducted in all regional languages listed in the Constitution’s Eighth Schedule, not just in English.

BCI Proposes Updates

The BCI, which conducts the All India Bar Examination (AIBE) in various regional languages, has expressed its willingness to oversee CLAT in multiple regional languages. The BCI argues that the Consortium of National Law Universities, responsible for CLAT, lacks statutory recognition, asserting itself as the primary statutory body in legal education. The BCI suggests forming a body of experts through its Legal Education Committee, including sitting and former judges, legal education experts, and prominent jurists, to conduct CLAT.

National Testing Agency

The High Court had previously sought the National Testing Agency’s (NTA) response to the PIL on September 1. A division bench, comprising Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad Jad, directed the NTA, known for conducting competitive examinations like NEET and JEE, to submit a reply regarding the feasibility of translating CLAT questions into other languages. The case is scheduled for further hearing on October 6.

High Court

• The court bench has requested the Centre’s lawyer to submit a comprehensive affidavit, indicating their lack of objection to the requests made in the petition.

• Senior advocate Siddharth Aggarwal, representing the consortium, argued that while simple translations may suffice for other competitive exams, CLAT follows a different model.

• In response to the complexities involved in conducting CLAT in multiple languages, the court emphasized the importance of hearing the National Testing Agency (NTA) on the matter.

• The court also noted that various competitive examinations, including CLAT, employ multiple-choice questions and are conducted in languages other than English.

Conclusion

In a previous affidavit, the Bar Council of India (BCI) had stated that conducting CLAT in regional languages would open up opportunities for more individuals to pursue law as a career. It was also highlighted that the All India Bar Examination held on February 5 was conducted in 23 languages, including English.

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