The Delhi High Court has struck down a recruitment notice from India’s National Highways Authority (NHAI) that relied solely on CLAT (PG) scores from 2022 onward to hire Young Professionals (Legal) on contract. This decision came on Wednesday, highlighting how the criteria failed to connect with real job needs and clashed with India’s Constitution.
A bench led by Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela explained in their ruling that picking candidates for public jobs isn’t the same as selecting them for advanced law studies. “Any criteria for judging suitability in higher education can’t just transfer over to public employment,” the bench noted, emphasizing that CLAT (PG) works well for postgraduate law admissions but doesn’t measure fitness for roles like these at NHAI.
The court also called out the notice’s odd rules. For instance, someone who took the CLAT (PG) exam and scored zero could still apply, but those who skipped it entirely got shut out. “This makes no sense at all,” the judges pointed out, labeling the approach vague and unfair.
NHAI argued that other groups, including public sector companies, use CLAT (PG) scores for hiring, but the court wasn’t convinced. Just because some organizations do it doesn’t make it right for NHAI, the ruling stated. In the end, the bench declared the entire recruitment process unconstitutional under Articles 14 and 16, which guarantee equality and equal opportunity in public jobs. They tossed out the notice dated August 11, 2025, ensuring a fairer path forward for legal hires in infrastructure projects.
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