The Delhi High Court on Monday issued notice to the Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs), the Bar Council of India (BCI), and the University Grants Commission (UGC) on a petition challenging the allegedly “exorbitant” counselling fees charged during the CLAT PG 2025 admissions process.
The petition was filed by Jatin Shrivastava, a CLAT PG aspirant who secured an All India Rank of 474. Represented by Advocate Siddharth R Gupta, the petitioner argued that CLAT PG is “the only examination in the country where such a high fee is charged,” making it financially inaccessible to hundreds of candidates.
Gupta informed the Court that his client had already paid a refundable amount of ₹30,000, and was now being asked to pay an additional ₹20,000 per round of counselling. He sought interim relief, requesting that the candidate be allowed to participate in the next round without further payment.
However, Justice Rajneesh Kumar Gupta, while issuing notice, expressed concern over interfering with an ongoing national-level admission process. “The process is going on, second counselling is going on. How can I disturb the whole system for one candidate?” he observed.
The judge further noted that for seat freezing, another ₹20,000 was required, and that the next round of CLAT PG counselling was scheduled for July 4. He posted the matter for further hearing on July 2, two days before the third round of counselling, and directed the Consortium to file its response. No interim relief was granted at this stage.
The petition highlights comparative data of counselling fees across 15 national-level examinations to substantiate its argument of financial discrimination. It asserts that such a fee structure violates principles of equal access to education.
It is noteworthy that a similar petition regarding high CLAT PG counselling fees has also been filed before the Kerala High Court and is expected to be heard later in July.
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