CLAT: NLU Consortium assures Supreme Court screen readers will be provided to PwD candidates

The Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs) on Monday assured the Supreme Court that candidates with disabilities who require screen-reader software would be provided the facility to take the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT).

A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana was hearing a plea filed by one Yash Dodani concerning accessibility of CLAT for persons with disabilities.

The issue came up after advocate Amar Jain, appearing for the petitioner, pointed out that the CLAT application form does not provide candidates with disabilities an option to indicate that they would take the examination using screen-reader software.

Jain urged the Court to direct the Consortium to include such an option in the application form itself.

“The application form itself (should) provide PwD candidates the option of taking the examination using screen readers, which is currently not captured,” he submitted.

The Consortium of NLUs then told the Court that it is already in the process of finalising a separate notification setting out facilities available to PwD candidates. The notification would be issued within the next one or two weeks, it was submitted.

The Consortium explained that its notification is being finalised following consideration by its executive committee.

“It will be done. No difficulty,” the counsel assured the Court.

The Consortium also assured the Court that candidates requiring screen-reader software would be accommodated, as they had been in the previous year.

“Last year also, all candidates who wanted scribes, either personal scribes or from the pool organised by the examination body, they were made available. Plus, those who wanted screen-reader software, that was made available,” said the counsel.

The Court also considered the status of revised guidelines concerning the conduct of competitive examinations for persons with disabilities.

Additional Solicitor General Archana Pathak Dave, appearing for the Union government, told the Court that the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities had prepared comprehensive revised guidelines on August 1, 2025. However, its implementation is currently on hold since a wider consultation with stakeholders is underway.

She added that the revised guidelines would be issued once the consultation process was completed.

The petitioner, however, argued that the existing 2018 guidelines already contemplate the use of assistive technology during examinations and therefore, should not prevent the Consortium from providing the facility in CLAT.

“Irrespective of those guidelines, the 2018 guidelines themselves contemplate giving exams through assistive technology. So those guidelines really would not have much bearing on this issue,” submitted Jain.

Jain also stressed that the issue before the Court was specific to CLAT and should not be made dependent on the broader guidelines governing competitive examinations.

Replying to this, Dave submitted that the revised guidelines would nevertheless provide useful guidance to educational institutions such as the Consortium of NLUs.

She further said that while the consultation had an outer limit of December 31, 2026, the revised guidelines could be issued earlier if the process was completed before then.

Ultimately, the Court directed that the consultation process concerning the revised guidelines be completed at the earliest.

The matter will be heard again in September.

“That process (should) be completed at the earliest. (Place it) for consideration within September-end,” said the Court.

The CLAT for this year is scheduled to be held in December.

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