SC allows suspected Covid-19 patient to take CLAT in isolation room

The Supreme Court on Monday allowed a possible Covid-19 patient to appear in the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT), at a separate isolation room at the examination centre in Gwalior.

A bench, presided over by Justice Ashok Bhushan, passed this order after hearing the application filed by the candidate.

A counsel, appearing for the CLAT authorities, for his part, told the court that in every centre, an isolation room has been provided.

However, the candidate pointed out that although the admit card issued to him said that symptomatic Covid-19 candidates will be allocated an isolation room, instructions issued by the Consortium cited that candidates who have tested positive and are under medical surveillance or in isolation will not be permitted to take the CLAT 2020 examination.

Allowing his plea for an isolation room, the court ordered that the applicant should enter into the centre after other candidates and should be the first to leave the examination centre.

Centre Superintendent may also request the Chief Medical officer of the District or Superintendent, Government Hospital to provide a medical staff to render necessary assistance, it added.

The court allowed the candidate to download its order copy to produce before the Centre Superintendent as early as possible by a non-symptomatic person, for enabling the authorities to make necessary arrangements to provide a separate room.

The CLAT, for admission to 22 National Law Universities across the country, was first scheduled on May 10. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it was rescheduled a number of times.

On September 21, the court had quashed a separate test conducted by National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru for admission to the five-year BA-LLB course for academic session 2020-21.

It had then directed the premier institution to take admission as per the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) with a consortium of law varsities to be held on September 28, which would be conducted with all precautions and care for the health of students to start the course by October 2020.