New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday allowed a COVID-19 positive aspirant to take the Common Law Admission Test, 2020 (CLAT) examination in isolation today. A bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan said the student should be permitted to take his CLAT examination in a separate isolation room to be provided by his Centre Superintendent.
“In the facts of the present case, we are of the view that the applicant should be permitted to take his CLAT examination on September 28 in a separate isolation room to be provided by his Centre Superintendent. The applicant shall ensure that the downloaded copy of this order should be presented before his Centre Superintendent as early as possible by any other non-symptomatic person. On such order being produced, Centre Superintendent shall provide a separate room for the applicant to appear in the examination,” the bench said in its order.
The bench noted that by it’s September 21 order, the court had directed for the conduct of CLAT 2020 exam on September 28 taking all precautions and care for the health of the students after following the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD).
“Applicant shall enter into Centre after other candidates take entry and shall first leave the examination centre. Centre Superintendent may also request the Chief Medical officer of the District or Superintendent, Government Hospital to provide medical staff to render necessary assistance. The application is disposed of accordingly,” the order said.
The CLAT aspirant, a resident of Madhya Pradesh, had filed an application seeking a direction for providing an isolation room for himself in the exam centre of CLAT office to appear in the exam scheduled to take place on September 28.
“The applicant is a student aspiring to clear the CLAT exam and his holding a valid admit card for the CLAT exam. However, he is presently in isolation due to his being suspected of being COVID positive. He is otherwise fine and is fully ready and prepared to give the Common Law Admission Test, 2020 (CLAT) examination scheduled to take place on September 28,” the students said in his application.
The application said that although as per the admit card issued to him, COVID-19 symptomatic candidates will be allocated to an isolated room, however, as per the instructions issued by the Consortium, candidates who have tested positive and are under medical surveillance or in isolation will not be permitted to take the CLAT, 2020 exam.
