The Delhi High Court has quashed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) notification dated August 11, 2025, which mandated that the Common Law Admission Test for Postgraduates (CLAT-PG) scores be used as the sole criterion for recruiting lawyers. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela delivered the verdict, stating that the recruitment criteria based on the impugned notification are quashed. A detailed order is awaited.
The public interest litigation was filed by lawyer Shannu Baghel, who contended that CLAT-PG scores cannot be made the basis for public employment. The petition argued that the CLAT-PG examination is conducted solely to assess the merit of candidates holding an LL.B. degree for admission into master's degree programs in law, not for hiring legal professionals. The petitioner further argued that there is no reasonable or rational nexus between the objectives sought to be achieved and the basis of merit preparation for such selection by NHAI. The criteria of restricting selection exclusively on the basis of CLAT-PG scores were deemed arbitrary and irrational.
The Court had previously halted the recruitment process on September 18, 2025, while reserving its verdict. During the proceedings, NHAI had informed the Court that it was likely to reconsider its decision to use CLAT-PG scores as the basis for recruiting lawyers and had extended the application deadline from September 10 to September 25, 2025.
This decision underscores the need for recruitment criteria to have a clear and rational connection to the job requirements, ensuring fairness and transparency in public employment processes.
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