Jaipur: The Rajasthan High Court has issued notice to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) over a challenge to its recruitment criteria for Legal Consultants, which gives preference to candidates with a 5-year integrated LL.B. from National Law Universities (NLUs) and candidates with good PG CLAT scores.
The petition, filed by Anmol Devanda, a 3-year LL.B. graduate, challenges BSNL’s advertisement dated July 7, 2026, arguing that the preference puts candidates with 3-year LL.B. degrees from other Bar Council of India (BCI)-recognised institutions at a disadvantage.
The matter was argued by Dr. Prakhar Agrawal and Anjali Assat on behalf of the petitioner.
The petitioner argued that BSNL’s mandatory eligibility criteria treats 3-year and 5-year LL.B. degrees equally, requiring an LL.B. from a BCI-recognised institution, at least 60% marks and three years of post-qualification experience.
According to the petitioner, once both degrees are accepted as essential qualifications, candidates with a 5-year degree cannot be given additional preference merely because of the course duration or the institution from which they graduated.
Counsel submitted that the distinction between NLU graduates and other BCI-recognised law graduates lacks a rational basis and violates the constitutional guarantee of equality under Articles 14 and 16. The petition also refers to Article 19.
The petitioner further pointed out that BSNL has not prescribed a similar preference for the post of Real Estate Legal Consultant, where both 3-year and 5-year LL.B. degrees are accepted without such an advantage.
He also questioned the use of PG CLAT scores, arguing that an academic entrance examination cannot be treated as a decisive measure of professional competence for an experienced Legal Consultant.
The petitioner also contended that several BCI-recognised institutions offer both 3-year and 5-year law programmes and that graduates from these institutions possess recognised professional legal qualifications.
Therefore, giving preference solely to NLU graduates, according to the plea, does not satisfy the test of reasonable or rational classification.
Justice Sameer Jain, after hearing the submissions, issued notice to BSNL and directed it to file its response within three weeks.
The Court also granted interim relief to the petitioner by permitting him to participate provisionally in the ongoing selection process.
The Court has not yet decided the validity of BSNL’s recruitment criteria.
The legality of the disputed preference, including the NLU and PG CLAT-based “Desirable Criteria”, will be considered after BSNL submits its response.