Supreme Court Dismisses Petition Seeking Probe into CLAT 2026 Paper Leak Allegations
The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a petition demanding an independent and time-bound investigation into the alleged leak of the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) 2026 question paper. The bench, comprising Justices P.S. Narasimha and Alok Aradhe, observed that since the examination had already been conducted, intervention at this stage was not feasible.
Court Questions Delay in Filing Petition
During the hearing, the bench raised pointed questions about the timing of the petition. The judges noted that while the petitioners claimed the paper was leaked on December 6, they waited until December 16 to approach the court. The bench remarked that had the petition been filed before the results were announced, the court could have considered it on its merits.
“You are saying the paper was leaked on December 6. Why then did you wait until December 16 to file the petition? If the plea had come before the declaration of results, the court could have examined it,” the bench observed.
Petitioner’s Counsel Argues Timely Filing
Advocate Malavika Kapila, representing the petitioners, argued that the petition was filed within a reasonable timeframe. She clarified that the petitioners were not seeking a re-examination but rather a thorough probe into the alleged leak. Despite these submissions, the Supreme Court deemed the petition not maintainable and dismissed it.
The petition was filed by several aspiring law students who alleged that images and videos related to the question paper and answer key were circulating on platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, and other social media channels prior to the examination. The petitioners contended that this material was being shared unlawfully before the test was conducted.
Allegations of Pre-Exam Leak on Social Media
According to the petition, screenshots and videos posted on social media carried timestamps of approximately 10:15 PM on December 6, suggesting that the question paper had been compromised nearly 15 hours before the exam was scheduled to begin. Some messages allegedly offered access to the paper in exchange for money.
The petitioners argued that the shared content appeared authentic, noting that Telegram messages showed no indication of being edited or altered. They claimed this situation severely undermined the fairness of the examination and compromised the principle of equal opportunity for all candidates.
Examination Details and Scale
CLAT 2026 was conducted on December 7, 2025, from 2 PM to 4 PM across 156 examination centres located in 25 states and 4 union territories. The test serves as the gateway for admission into undergraduate and postgraduate law programmes at 25 National Law Universities across the country. This year, more than 92,000 students applied for approximately 5,000 available seats.
Counselling Process and Potential Impact
The petition also highlighted that the counselling and seat allocation process was scheduled to commence on January 7. The petitioners warned that proceeding with the existing results could cause irreparable harm to deserving candidates who may have been disadvantaged by the alleged leak.
Additionally, the petitioners pointed out that while the consortium had established a grievance redressal portal under the chairmanship of former judge M.R. Shah, no investigation report or clarification had been made public so far. This lack of transparency, they argued, had fostered distrust among candidates regarding the integrity of the examination process.
However, the Supreme Court declined to entertain these arguments and dismissed the petition, stating that the timing of the filing was a critical factor that worked against the petitioners. The court’s decision effectively closes the door on judicial intervention in this matter through this particular petition, leaving the issue to be addressed through other available channels if any.
