CLAT 2026 Merit List Controversy Explained

In a significant development, a Division Bench of the Allahabad High Court has paused the earlier single-judge directive dated February 3 related to CLAT Counselling 2026. The initial order had required a complete reworking of the CLAT-UG 2026 merit list. This directive came after a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed by a student, Avneesh Gupta, who alleged that his objections to the CLAT 2026 final answer key were overlooked.

Avneesh Gupta contended that the errors in the answer key impacted his score and ultimately affected his admission prospects. According to him, the failure to address these objections disrupted the admission cycle and prevented him from securing admission to his preferred law college.

The Division Bench’s latest decision is expected to significantly impact the CLAT 2026 counselling schedule for the upcoming rounds.

Revised CLAT 2026 Merit List Update: What Is the Matter About?

Avneesh Gupta appeared for the CLAT 2026 examination and identified discrepancies in the answer key. During the designated “objection window,” he submitted three formal objections. However, the Consortium of NLUs proceeded to publish the CLAT 2026 final merit list without resolving or responding to those concerns.

Subsequently, Avneesh approached the Allahabad High Court. A single judge, Justice Vivek Saran, ruled in his favour and instructed the Consortium to:

• Rectify the errors in the answer key.

• Recompute the ranks of all candidates.

• Revise the CLAT 2026 merit list for all future counselling rounds.

CLAT 2026 Revised Merit List: Present Situation

Following the single judge’s decision, the Consortium challenged the order, stating that recalculating ranks for thousands of candidates would severely disrupt the entire admission process.

On February 20, 2026, the Division Bench issued a stay on the earlier directive, effectively halting the implementation of the merit list revision until further notice.

CLAT 2026 Counselling Schedule Likely to Change

With the High Court placing a stay on the previous order, the counselling timeline is expected to undergo revisions. The Consortium of NLUs is anticipated to soon announce updated CLAT 2026 counselling dates for the remaining rounds.

Students are advised to regularly check the official website — consortiumofnlus.ac.in — for the latest counselling notifications and updates.