SC dismisses JEE, NEET postponement plea; exams to be held as per schedule

at 2:59 pm

New Delhi (NVI): The petition, filed by a group of students and parents, demanding postponement of JEE Main 2020 and NEET 2020 entrance exams, scheduled to be held in September 2020,has been dismissed by the Supreme Court today. With this decision, the exams will be held as per the schedule in the month of September.

Dismissing the petition, the apex court said the postponement will put students’ career in peril.

Supreme Court added that it has taken note of assurance by the authorities that the exams will be held with adequate precautions.

As per the latest directive, both JEE Main 2020 and NEET 2020 exams will be held as per the schedule announced by the National Testing Agency (NTA) earlier. The JEE Main 2020 is scheduled to be held between September 1-6 and the NEET 2020 is to be conducted on September 13.

Earlier, in the wake of Covid-19, the examination had been rescheduled keeping the safety and security of students in check. Over 25 lakh, registered to appear in the examination, await clarity on the matter.

The counsel appearing for the petitioners told the bench that lakhs of students are looking towards the top court for relief and they were only seeking postponement of these exams, according to media reports.

Over 9 lakh had applied to appear for JEE Main while nearly 16 lakh registered for NEET. Candidates were given several options to opt for the nearest exam center. The number of exam centres, claims NTA, have also been increased by almost double to ensure safety of students.

-CHK