In a major development for law aspirants across the country, the implementation of a revised merit list for the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT 2026) remains on hold. As of today, the Division Bench of the Allahabad High Court has extended its stay on an earlier order that demanded a complete re-ranking of candidates. This decision comes as a huge relief to the Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs), which argued that changing the ranks of over 70,000 students mid-way through the admission process would create "administrative chaos." For now, the official Consortium of NLUs portal will continue to use the original results for all future seat allotments.

The Core of the Legal Dispute

The legal battle started when a student, Avneesh Gupta, challenged the final answer key of the entrance exam. The dispute centered on "Question 9" in Booklet C, a logical reasoning question. While an expert committee had suggested that two different options ('B' and 'D') could be correct, the Consortium's oversight committee decided to stick with only one.

On February 3, a single-judge bench ruled that the oversight committee acted unfairly by not giving reasons for its decision. The judge ordered the Consortium to award marks for both options and release a new merit list. However, the Consortium filed an appeal, leading to the current stay order. You can read more about the CLAT 2026 UG admission instructions to understand how these scores are normally calculated.

What This Means for Counseling

Because of the stay order, the third allotment list—which was supposed to be out on February 5—has been delayed for nearly two weeks. With the court pausing the revision, the Consortium is now expected to release the third list in the final week of February using the original ranks.

Round 1 & 2: These are fully completed and protected by the court. No student who has already joined an NLU will lose their seat.
Round 3 Allotment: Likely to be released by February 28, 2026.
Round 4 & 5: Will follow the original schedule unless the court says otherwise during the next hearing on March 9.

Students who were worried about their ranks dropping due to the revision can now breathe a sigh of relief. The merit list remains unchanged for the moment, and candidates should prepare for the "Freeze" and "Float" options as per the original rankings.

Counseling Round	Status as of Feb 22	Judicial Status
Round 1 Allotment	Completed	Fully Protected
Round 2 Allotment	Completed	Fully Protected
Round 3 Allotment	Delayed	Will use Original Ranks
Merit List Revision	Paused	Stayed by Division Bench

Next Steps for Aspirants

The next important date is March 9, 2026, when the High Court will hear the case again. Until then, every aspirant is advised to keep their documents ready. If you are in the "Float" category, you might get a seat in a better college in the upcoming third round. It is important to stay updated by checking the official CLAT 2026 notifications page regularly.

Conclusion

While the legal debate over "Question 9" is not yet over, the stay order ensures that the admission year does not fall behind schedule. The court's primary goal is to balance the rights of the petitioner with the interests of thousands of other students who have already planned their relocation to various NLUs. As of today, the original merit list is the only valid document for the 2026-27 session.

Dr. K. M. Cherian Heart Foundation, Chennai

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