CLAT 2027: CLAT Previous Year Question Paper PDF Download (Last 5 Years PYQs)

CLAT Previous Year Question Papers PDF Download - Last 5 Years

How to Download CLAT 2027 Previous Year Question Papers?

Candidates can download the CLAT 2027 previous year question papers by following the steps given below:

• Click on the direct CLAT previous year question paper PDF link given in the table above.

• Candidates will be directed to the question paper download page.

• Existing users who are already logged in can click on the “Free Download” button to access the PDF.

• New users will be required to complete a short sign-up process by providing basic details such as name, phone number and email ID.

• After successful sign-up, candidates can click on the “Free Download” button to download the CLAT previous year question paper PDF.

• The CLAT question paper PDF will also be sent to the candidate's registered email address.

CLAT 2027 Sample Papers

CLAT 2027 Subject-wise Sample Papers - By Careers360

CLAT UG Question & Answers

Previous year CLAT papers help candidates understand how questions are framed around current affairs, legal developments, government policies and other important topics. The following questions are based on the CLAT UG 2026 question paper:

Passage 1:

One of the central motifs of the past decade of governance under Indian Prime Minister has been the embrace of policy measures that seek to apply uniform solutions to disparate policy dilemmas facing the country. These measures, often termed One Nation policies, are motivated by a desire to replace the existing patchwork of state-specific policies, regulations, and regimes with measures that are identical across the length and breadth of India.

There are numerous examples of such One Nation policies being propagated and, in several cases, implemented in the eleven years since this Government came to power. For instance, in 2016, Parliament passed a series of constitutional amendments to introduce a new Goods and Services Tax (GST), which introduced a unified value-added tax in place of state-specific levies. This reform, known informally as One Nation, One Tax, had been debated and discussed for nearly two decades and was widely touted as an important precursor to forging a common market across India's twenty-eight states.

In a similar vein, the government rolled out a new initiative to allow Indian citizens to take advantage of subsidized food rations irrespective of their state of residence. This scheme, commonly termed One Nation, One Ration Card, was intended to increase access to welfare benefits, especially for the millions of internal migrants in India without a fixed place of residence.

Earlier this year, the government announced the launch of a new online portal that will provide students, faculty, and researchers across the country's public higher education institutions with open access to international scholarly journals and articles under a scheme it has dubbed One Nation, One Subscription.

Most notably, the government recently signalled its intention to pursue a monumental One Nation policy that has been long discussed but only recently outlined in detail. This measure, known as One Nation, One Election, would do away with India's current system of staggered elections for state and national assemblies, replacing it with a framework of simultaneous elections. The proposal, which has featured in many of PM's speeches in the past, was advanced by a high-level committee (HLC) established by the government in 2023. (351 words)

[Excerpts from Does "One Nation, One Election" Make Sense for India? by Milan Vaishnav, Caroline Mallory, and Annabel Richter Published on July 28, 2025]

1) What is the underlying idea behind the "One Nation" policies of the government?

(A) To strengthen federalism by empowering states with greater autonomy

(B) To apply uniform solutions across India, replacing state-specific variations

(C) To decentralize governance to local self-government institutions

(D) To promote diversity by encouraging state-specific policies

Answer: (B) To apply uniform solutions across India, replacing state-specific variations

2) Which of the following Constitution Amendment Bill deals with empowerment of the Election Commission of India (ECI) to implement simultaneous state and national elections.

(A) One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment

(B) One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Amendment

(C) One Hundred and Twenty-Seventh Amendment

(D) One Hundred and Twenty-Sixth Amendment

Answer: (A) One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment

3) Which committee or report has discussed the feasibility of simultaneous elections in India?

(A) Justice Verma Committee 2013

(B) Law Commission of India Report 2018

(C) Sarkaria Commission Report 1988

(D) Punchhi Commission Report 2010

Answer: (B) Law Commission of India Report 2018

4) A High-Level Committee was constituted by the government to examine the policy of One Nation One Election. The Committee was led by:

(A) Shri Ram Nath Kovind

(B) Shri JagdipDhankar

(C) Shri Pranab Mukherjee

(D) Smt. Draupadi Murmu

Answer: (A) Shri Ram Nath Kovind

5) As per the new GST reforms introduced in September 2025, the structure of new GST rates are as follows

(A) 5%, 12%, 18% and 28%

(B) 5%, 12% and 18%

(C) 5%, 12% and 40%

(D) 5%, 18% and 40%

Answer: (A) 5%, 12%, 18% and 28%

6) The object of One Nation, One Ration Card scheme is to benefit:

(A) The rural population

(B) The Farmers

(C) The Migrant labourers

(D) The ration shopkeepers

Answer: (C) The Migrant labourers

Passage 2

The recent Supreme Court judgment in State of Tamil Nadu v. Governor of Tamil Nadu (2025) affirmed that a Governor cannot exercise an absolute or "pocket" veto on bills, holding that if assent is withheld, the bill must be returned to the legislature "as soon as possible" for reconsideration, with the Governor having no discretion to withhold assent again. The court established that inaction or indefinite delay is illegal and unconstitutional, prescribing timelines for the Governor's decision and even "deeming assent" on pending bills in the Tamil Nadu case, establishing a critical precedent for judicial review of gubernatorial powers. The Supreme Court explicitly rejected the Governor's power to an absolute or "pocket" veto, which allows for bills to be indefinitely delayed. If a Governor withholds assent to a bill, they are constitutionally obligated to return it to the State Assembly for reconsideration, according to the proviso in Article 200 of the Constitution. If the State Assembly re-enacts a bill after it has been returned by the Governor, the Governor has no choice but to give assent to it and cannot withhold it for a second time. The Court held that indefinitely delaying or remaining silent on bills is unconstitutional and that Governors must act "as soon as possible" on bills. The judgment expanded the scope of judicial review by setting timelines for the Governor's actions on bills, allowing state governments to approach courts if these timelines are breached. In the case of the Tamil Nadu, the Court used its powers under Article 142 to "deem assent" on the long-pending bills, which had the effect of making any subsequent decision by the President on those bills void. (276 words)

[Extracted with edits & revisions from "The Hindu", dated 8th April 2025]

1) The Legislative Assembly of State X passes a controversial bill and sends it to the Governor for assent. The Governor, strongly disagreeing with the bill's provisions, decides to neither give assent nor return the bill, hoping it will be forgotten over the time. Which of the following statements accurately describes the legal position of the Governor's action?

(A) The Governor's action is a legitimate exercise of a "pocket veto", allowing for indefinite delay of bills

(B) The Governor's inaction is unconstitutional, as the Supreme Court has explicitly rejected the power to an absolute or "pocket" veto, and they are obligated to return the bill "as soon as possible" if assent is withheld

(C) The Governor is within their rights to delay the bill indefinitely as long as they do not explicitly reject it, reflecting the true spirit of gubernatorial discretion

(D) The bill will automatically lapse after six months of gubernatorial inaction, making the delay a de facto rejection

Answer: (B) The Governor's inaction is unconstitutional, as the Supreme Court has explicitly rejected the power to an absolute or "pocket" veto, and they are obligated to return the bill "as soon as possible" if assent is withheld

2) Governor Y receives a bill from the State Assembly and, after careful consideration, decides to withhold assent, promptly returning it with a message for reconsideration. The State Assembly then re-enacts the bill without any change and sends it back to Governor Y. What is the constitutional obligation of Governor Y at this point?

(A) Governor Y has no choice but to give assent to the re-enacted bill, as the Supreme Court has ruled that the Governor cannot withhold assent for a second time

(B) Governor Y can again withhold assent if they continue to disagree with the bill's content, sending it back for further reconsideration

(C) Governor Y can refer the bill to the President of India for a final decision, exercising a higher discretionary power

(D) Governor Y can dissolve the State Assembly for consistently passing erroneous bills

Answer: (A) Governor Y has no choice but to give assent to the re-enacted bill, as the Supreme Court has ruled that the Governor cannot withhold assent for a second time

3) After the Supreme Court's judgment in State of Tamil Nadu v. Governor of Tamil Nadu (2025), a State Governor holds a bill for eight months without taking any action—neither assenting nor returning it. The State Government believes that this delay is unconstitutional. Based on the precedent set by the judgment, what recourse is available to the State Government?

(A) The State Government must wait for a full year before any action can be taken, as gubernatorial delays are typically permitted for this duration

(B) The bill automatically lapses after six months of inaction, making any further action by the State Government unnecessary

(C) The State Government's only recourse is to re-enact the bill, which would then compel the Governor to act

(D) The State Government can approach the courts, as the judgment had prescribed timelines for the Governor's actions on bills since indefinite delay was construed unconstitutional

Answer: (D) The State Government can approach the courts, as the judgment had prescribed timelines for the Governor's actions on bills since indefinite delay was construed unconstitutional

4) In a situation mirroring the Tamil Nadu case, a Supreme Court bench is reviewing several instances where a particular Governor has indefinitely delayed assent on multiple bills passed by the State Assembly, despite Constitutional obligations. If the Supreme Court decides to follow the precedent established in State of Tamil Nadu v. Governor of Tamil Nadu (2025) regarding pending bills, what would be a likely outcome for these delayed bills?

(A) The Supreme Court would order the Governor to explicitly reject all the delayed bills

(B) The Supreme Court would direct the State Assembly to conduct a public referendum on each delayed bill

(C) The Supreme Court could deem assent on the pending bills, establishing a critical precedent for judicial review of gubernatorial powers in such cases, as it did in the Tamil Nadu case

(D) The Supreme Court would advise the Governor to seek legal counsel and then re-evaluate each bill individually without a set timeline

Answer: (C) The Supreme Court could deem assent on the pending bills, establishing a critical precedent for judicial review of gubernatorial powers in such cases, as it did in the Tamil Nadu case

CLAT 2027 Preparation Tips

Solving previous year question papers should be part of the regular CLAT 2027 preparation plan. Candidates should first attempt the papers without looking at the solutions and note the time taken to complete each section.

After checking the answers, candidates should analyse the questions they got wrong and identify the sections or question types where they are losing marks. Revisiting the same paper after some time can also help check whether accuracy and speed have improved.

Candidates should also practise CLAT 2027 sample papers along with previous year papers. This gives them exposure to both actual exam questions and additional practice questions before the exam.