JEE-NEET 2020 to be held as scheduled — Supreme Court dismisses review petition filed by six ministers

• The Supreme Court has rejected the petition filed by six ministers of six non-BJP ruled state challenging court’s decision to not entertain a plea seeking postponement of NEET-JEE exams slated in September against the backdrop of Covid-19.
  
• The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE)-Main — to get admission in engineering colleges — began at 9 am across the country on September 1 despite massive protests across the country.
  
• A bench comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan, B.R. Gavai and Krishna Murari took up the plea in-chambers.
  

The Supreme Court has rejected the petition filed by six ministers of six non-BJP ruled state challenging court’s decision to not entertain a plea seeking postponement of NEET-JEE exams slated in September against the backdrop of Covid-19.


The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE)-Main — to get admission in engineering colleges — began at 9 am across the country on September 1 despite massive protests across the country.

A bench comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan, B.R. Gavai and Krishna Murari took up the plea in-chambers. The petition, filed through advocate Sunil Fernandes, contends the petitioners have moved the top court to "secure the safety, security and right to life of the students -candidates appearing for the NEET/JEE exams".


What does the petition say -

• The petitioners contended that if the August 17 order is not reviewed, then grave and irreparable harm and injury would befall the student community of the country and it will impact health, welfare and safety of the students/candidates appearing for the NEET/JEE examinations.
• The petition argues that the top court has ignored the logistical difficulties in conducting the examinations at the proposed dates.
• "Failed to balance the competing but equally important aspects of conducting the examination and securing safety of the student. Fails to ensure that mandatory safeguards are put in place during the conduct of the examinations," said the petition challenging the August 17 order.
• "The advice of 'Life Must Go On' may have very sound philosophical underpinnings but cannot be a substitute for valid legal reasoning and logical analysis of the various aspects involved in the conduct of the NEET UG and JEE exams," the petitioners argued.
• They said the apex court failed to appreciate that the Centre had adequate time to establish at least one centre for every district for NEET (UG) and JEE (Mains) rather than having several centres in one district.
• "With regards to the second reason of losing a year, it is most respectfully submitted that this would be tantamount to putting the cart before the horse, as the submissions hereinabove have revealed. The review petitioners too do not desire for the students to lose an academic year, but wish to balance their health, safety and security and that of their family with not losing the current academic year," said the petition.

The petitioners include -

1. West Bengal’s Labour and Law Minister Moloy Ghatak
2. Jharkhand’s Finance Minister Rameshwar Oraon
3. Rajasthan’s Health and Family Welfare Minister Raghu Sharma
4. Chhattisgarh's Food and Civil Supplies Minister Amarjeet Bhagat
5. Punjab's Health and Family Welfare Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu
6. Maharashtra's Higher and Technical Education Minister Uday Ravindra Samant.JEE-NEET 2020: Supreme Court rejects review petition filed by six ministers seeking delay in examination

Previously, the Supreme Court dismissed a plea seeking a delay in JEE-NEET examination and said the exams will be held as per schedule in September.

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