CLAT 2027 Aspirants Left in Limbo as Consortium Delays Reform Disclosure
The Consortium of National Law Universities (NLUs), responsible for the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT), has yet to disclose the findings of a reform committee report submitted four months ago. The report, which addresses potential changes to CLAT 2027, was handed to the Consortium’s Advisory Board on February 2, 2026, but remains unpublished and uncommunicated to prospective test-takers.
Professor Tarunabh Khaitan, Co-Chair of the Expert Committee and Public Law Professor at the London School of Economics, confirmed the report’s submission to Bar & Bench. He noted that the committee had urged the Consortium to release the document publicly, but their request appears to have been overlooked. “In the cover letter to which we appended our report, we had urged publication of the Report. I am not privy to any reasons why the Report has not been made public yet,” Khaitan stated.
When approached by Bar & Bench for comments, the Consortium responded, “There are no updates as of now. Changes/updates if any will be published on the website.” However, key figures such as the Consortium President and Vice-Chancellor of GNLU Gandhinagar, Prof. S Shanthakumar, Vice-President and MNLU Mumbai Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Dilip Ukey, and Secretary-Treasurer and NLSIU VC, Prof. Sudhir Krishnaswamy, did not respond to inquiries.
The Expert Committee was established following the fourth Advisory Board Meeting of the Consortium, led by former Supreme Court Justice Indu Malhotra. It was tasked with suggesting medium and long-term reforms for CLAT’s undergraduate and postgraduate exams, starting with CLAT 2027. The committee comprised five academics from institutions across India, the UK, and the USA: Prof. Dev Saif Gangjee, University of Oxford (Co-Chair); Prof. Tarunabh Khaitan, LSE (Co-Chair); Prof. Shyamkrishna Balganesh, Columbia Law School; Prof. Pritam Baruah, BML Munjal University; and Prof. Surabhi Ranganathan, University of Cambridge.
Their mandate focused on the quality of questions, exam structure, syllabus, and evaluations of similar tests like the LSAT and LNAT. The Consortium had also sought public feedback via a Google form available from October 15 to November 4, 2025.
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Earlier this year, numerous CLAT aspirants reached out to Prof. Khaitan, seeking updates using a common template. In his response, he reiterated the February 2 report submission and acknowledged the uncertainty faced by students, emphasizing that any further action lies with the Consortium. “Any further action on the report, including decisions about its consideration, implementation, or whether it will be made public, now rests entirely with the Consortium,” he clarified.
For the thousands of students gearing up for CLAT 2027, the lack of clear communication from the Consortium is troubling. Should any recommendations from the report be implemented, students would require sufficient time to adapt their study strategies. Registration for CLAT 2027 is anticipated to begin in August 2026, potentially before aspirants know the exam’s specifics.
Piyush Kumar, a prospective CLAT candidate, expressed his concerns succinctly: “With only a few months remaining before the next CLAT examination, many students are facing uncertainty regarding the pattern and future direction of the exam. This lack of clarity makes preparation difficult for thousands of aspirants who dedicate significant time and effort to this highly competitive examination.” He emphasized that his plea is not for specific reforms, but for timely communication to aid preparation efforts.
