One important event affecting the hiring of lawyers is the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) announcement on Monday that it will extend the application deadline for candidates wishing to apply for young professionals' positions. Instead of the previous date of September 10, the new cutoff has been moved to September 25, 2025.
Tomorrow that is 10th September, the NHAI will respond to the Delhi High Court amid legal proceedings where several petitions have been submitted challenging the use of Common Law Admission Test Post Graduate (CLAT PG) scores as a criterion for public sector employment. The division bench, which consists of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, has been hearing the case, which questions the principle of meritocracy and the criteria for public employment.
Recruitment Based on CLAT PG Scores
The NHAI, while on the witness stand in court, stated that it intended to reconsider its decision to use CLAT PG scores as a basis for recruitment. This step comes after an application made by advocate Shannu Bahgel maintained that the CLAT PG exam is only for checking the eligibility of the candidates for further studies and not for public employment.
Bahgel, in his petition, claimed that justifying the use of CLAT PG scores as a recruitment standard requires the presence of a reasonable ground. The exam, in his opinion, is to prepare candidates for M.A. degree programs and not the legal positions in governmental bodies. The petition reads, "It is difficult to see how any firm or logical nexus is there between the objectives of the ordinance and the basis of merit considered for selection thereof."
Next Hearing on 18th September
The court has earlier confirmed that the primary function of the CLAT PG exam is to check the suitability of candidates for further studies rather than for jobs in the public sector. The plea of Bahgel targeted a particular announcement made by the NHAI on August 11, which aimed to deploy 44 young professionals based on the results of CLAT PG 2022 and the following editions.
Bahgel submitted that the limitation of recruitment to candidates who attended CLAT PG from 2022 is not only arbitrary and unreasonable but also deprives such candidates of consideration. He expressed, "The criterion of selecting candidates only based on the post-graduate score in CLAT 2022 onwards is arbitrary and irrational."
In the depths of these legal changes, the court will hold further hearings on September 18, when the consequences of the NHAI's notification and the advisability of CLAT PG scores being employed as the standard for public sector jobs will form the subject of a broader discussion.
This has led to a controversy within the legal community and among the candidates who are impacted by the recruitment criteria established by the NHAI. Many are calling for a selection process that is fair and equitable through an approach that not only considers the PG score in CLAT but also the qualifications that are set out in the syllabus.
In light of the NHAI reevaluating its hiring strategy, the judgment of this litigation may serve as a benchmark for the modus operandi in the public sector for India, especially in the legal arena. As the judiciary explores the overlap of educational assessments and public employment criteria, it could open up a possibility of structural changes in the recruitment patterns of legal professionals in the future.
