Criteria for Legal Professionals

On April 21, 2025, Common Cause submitted a formal representation to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) challenging the recruitment notification dated March 19, 2025, for the engagement of “Young Professionals (Law)”. The notification restricts eligibility exclusively to law graduates from National Law Schools (NLUs), which the organisation argues is unconstitutional and discriminatory. We contend that the exclusion of graduates from other recognised law institutions lacks reasonable classification and violates the principles of equality before the law and equal opportunity in public employment.

The representation emphasises that any classification in public employment must be based on intelligible differentia and should have a rational nexus to the objective. It argues that the NLU-only criterion fails both tests and constitutes arbitrary executive discretion. Furthermore, the submission highlights the broader social impact of such exclusion, noting that only a small fraction of law graduates come from NLUs, thereby marginalising capable candidates from underprivileged and remote regions.

Common Cause urges the Ministry to revise the eligibility criteria to include all law graduates from institutions recognised by the Bar Council of India and/or UGC. It also requests that the current selection process be paused until the criteria are amended to reflect constitutional values of inclusivity, fairness, and meritocracy. Dr Vipul Mudgal, Director and Chief Executive of Common Cause, signed the representation.