The Supreme Court on Monday, August 17, 2020 dismissed pleas seeking the postponement of JEE Main and NEET examinations. The SC bench hearing the petition said the postponement of these exams will put the ‘career of students in peril’.

The NTA earlier said that the JEE Main will be conducted from September 1 to 6 and NEET UG 2020 will be held on September 13, 2020.

 The plea was heard by the SC Bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra. The bench says that it has taken into record the submission of Solicitor General that exams will be held with adequate precautions. 

Advocate Alakh says that there is a chance of vaccine coming soon for Covid-19 and even Prime Minister Narendra Modi said about it in his August 15 speech. He submitted a plea seeking postponement of the exams for some time.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for NTA, said that the exams should be conducted, and adequate precautions will be taken.

Case heard by Justice Arun Mishra says there are two petitions – one seeking conduct of JEE and NEET exams and another seeking postponement of these exams. He said, “If exams are not held, won’t it be a loss to the country? Students will lose the academic year.”

The plea, filed on August 6, by 11 students belonging to 11 states sought the quashing of the public notices released by the National Testing Agency on July 3, in which it was decided to hold the JEE Main and NEET UG exams in September. The petitioners also urged the court to direct the Centre to hold JEE and NEET examinations only after normalcy is restored in the country.

The plea had cited that, conducting the JEE Main and NEET examination across the country amid the pandemic will be putting lives of lakhs of young students at utmost risk. It also stated that the exams could be conducted after the crisis subside. The petitioners also urged the SC to increase the number of NEET and JEE examination centres across the country and provide at least one centre in one district of each state.

The plea filed by advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava also said, “While deciding to conduct the aforesaid JEE (Main) April-2020 and NEET UG-2020 exams in September 2020, the respondents (NTA and others) have overlooked that many states have refused to allow conducting of any professional or non-professional exams in their states at this stage and hence the same is likely to cause unimaginable harassment to the petitioners and other similarly situated students.”

Source: Times of India

Read: Students start online campaign on postponement of JEE, NEET 2020

Also read: Plea to be moved before SC for postponement of JEE Main, NEET exams