The Allahabad High Court is scheduled to hear a special appeal on February 13, 2026, regarding the revision of the CLAT 2026 merit list. This case, Consortium of National Law Universities vs. Avneesh Gupta, started from a dispute over the evaluation process of the Common Law Admission Test. A group of experts said the question was confusing and should be corrected, but the Consortium’s Oversight Committee ignored them and kept the original answer. A single-judge bench previously ruled in favour of the student, ordering a revision of the entire merit list.
The Consortium has now challenged this decision through a Special Appeal (No. 135 of 2026), citing procedural errors and jurisdictional concerns. This legal situation has postponed the CLAT 2026 third merit list, affecting thousands of students. For law aspirants, this hearing is critical as it directly impacts seat allocations across all National Law Universities. A change of just one mark can move a student hundreds of ranks, potentially changing which National Law University (NLU) they get into. This hearing’s outcome will determine whether the current rankings stand or if a massive recalculation will decide if the current ranks stay as they are or if the whole CLAT admission process will be reset to ensure every mark is perfectly accurate.
Feature | Details for CLAT 2026 appeal |
Case number | Special appeal no. 135 of 2026 |
Appellant | Consortium of National Law Universities (CNLU) |
Respondent | Avneesh Gupta (minor) through guardian |
Presiding bench | Hon'ble Chief Justice Arun Bhansali & Hon'ble Kshitij Shailendra, J. |
Primary dispute | Merit list revision due to the disputed question no. 9 of booklet-C |
Hearing date | February 13, 2026 (fresh listing) |
CNR number | UPHC050764922026 |
Stay application | IA/2/2026 (filed by Consortium to halt merit list revision) |
Exemption application | IA/1/2026 (filed by Consortium) |
Appellant counsel | Advocate Avneesh Tripathi |
| Respondent counsel | In Person (Atul Gupta, Guardian) |
The hearing for Special Appeal No. 135 of 2026 is scheduled for tomorrow, February 13, 2026, as a "fresh" listing. Proceedings at the Allahabad High Court generally begin at 10:00 AM, and fresh matters are typically taken up during the first half of the day's session. Since the case must be heard by a new bench following the Chief Justice’s recusal, the exact courtroom number will be confirmed once the daily cause list is finalised. Students and advocates can monitor the real-time status of the case through the high court's online display board to see exactly when Item No. 135 is called for the hearing.
Feb 13, 2026, 01:01 PM | Court No. 3 Currently on Item No. 133
The Allahabad High Court Display Board shows that Court No. 3 is currently hearing Item No. 133 (UPPSC vs. Rahul Dixit). The CLAT 2026 appeal is listed much further down as Sr. No. 192 in the Fresh Supplementary List - 1.
Feb 13, 2026, 12:42 PM | Potential Shift in NLSIU Bangalore Cutoffs
If question no. 9 is revised, the NLSIU Bangalore general category cutoff could shift by 5-10 ranks. In such a high-competition bracket, even a 1 mark change determines whether a candidate makes the top 100 rank list.
Feb 13, 2026, 12:33 PM | Has the Serial Number Updated?
Yes, the listing has been updated. The case SPLA/135/2026 is now officially listed at Sr. No. 192 in the Fresh Supplementary List - 1 for Court No. 3. This change moves the matter from the main fresh list to the supplementary list, which contains urgent matters added after the initial list was printed.
Feb 13, 2026, 12:24 PM | Case Listed at Sr. No. 192 in Court 3
The latest cause list update confirms that Special Appeal No. 135/2026 is listed as Item No. 192 in the Fresh Supplementary List of Court No. 3. The Division Bench will take up the Consortium’s appeal once the initial fresh matters are cleared.
Feb 13, 2026, 12:12 PM | Case Status Remains Pending
As of now, the Allahabad High Court portal confirms that SPLA/135/2026 is still PENDING.
Feb 13, 2026, 11:30 AM | Consortium vs. Avneesh Gupta: Case Overview
The case, Consortium of NLUs vs. Avneesh Gupta, originated from a student's petition regarding evaluation accuracy. The respondent, a minor represented by his guardian, had successfully argued before a single judge for a merit list recalculation.
Feb 13, 2026, 10:44 AM | Real-Time Tracking for Special Appeal (No. 135 of 2026)
It is advised to monitor the High Court's Online Display Board for real-time updates. While the internal filing number is SPLA/30834/2026, the hearing will follow the Serial Number 3 on today’s Fresh List. Once this item is called, the court will deliberate on the Consortium's Stay Application (IA/2/2026).
Feb 13, 2026, 10:00 AM | Impact of CLAT 2026 Merit List Revision
It is to be noted that a change of even one mark could shift a student’s rank by hundreds of positions. The Allahabad High Court's decision today will determine if the current rankings stand or if a massive recalculation will be required for the remaining seats.
Feb 13, 2026, 09:30 AM | Hearing at Allahabad High Court
The matter is listed as Serial No. 3 in the Fresh List before the Bench of Hon’ble The Chief Justice and Hon’ble Justice Kshitij Shailendra.
On Question asked by student community
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With a CLAT 2026 score of 60.75, AIR 17,715, and OBC-NCL rank 3,347 as an out-of-Delhi candidate, getting a seat in the Faculty of Law, Delhi University is very unlikely. DU’s cut-offs for OBC candidates are usually much higher, even in later rounds. You should keep backup options like
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