NEET, JEE 2020: Supreme Court declines to hear review petition on exam postponement

The Supreme Court has declined to hear the review petition challenging the decision to conduct the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). The review plea was filed by West Bengal Law Minister Moloy Ghatak, Jharkhand Finance Minister Rameshwar Oraon, Rajasthan Health Minister Raghu Sharma, Chhattisgarh Civil Supplies Minister Amarjeet Bhagat, Punjab Labour Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu, and Maharashtra Higher and Technical Education Minister Uday Samant.

According to the petition, the court order failed to secure the safety, security, and right to life of students appearing for the JEE and NEET exams. Moreover, it contended that the SC had ignored the logistical difficulties in conducting the exams on the scheduled dates. While the JEE Main exam has commenced on September 1, the NEET examination will take place on September 13. 

Earlier, a petition was filed in Supreme Court seeking postponement of the September NEET and JEE Main exams and urged to conduct it at a later date when the COVID pandemic issues subside in the country. The Supreme Court dismissed the plea as Justice Arun Kumar Mishra observed that students cannot waste an entire year and the court cannot jeopardise their career.

Read: SC To Hear Review Petition On Order Rejecting NEET-JEE Postponement On September 4

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Arguments for and against postponement

JEE Main is scheduled to be held between September 1 and 6 and JEE (Advanced) on September 27. The National Testing Agency decided to hold NEET on September 13. However, the country is still witnessing highest daily coronavirus cases across the world and the floods in several states have exacerbated the problems faced by students and their parents to safely arrive at exam centres.

The major argument against the postponement of NEET and JEE examinations is the obvious disruption in the academic calendar. Academicians have argued that the NEET and JEE are conducted for admissions in medical and engineering colleges, which have several laboratory components and are required to be conducted in a timely manner. They fear that the lab work will be compromised if the exams get postponed.

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