As JEE Main begins, urgent plea seeking postponement to be heard by Bombay High Court

UPDATE: The Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court refused to stay the JEE-Main examination but said any student residing in flood-hit parts of Maharashtra's Vidarbha region who cannot reach the exam centre or reaches late can apply to the National Testing Agency to seek a re-examination.

A division bench of Justices Ravi Deshpande and Pushpa Ganediwala said the National Testing Agency (NTA) shall consider such applications and decide accordingly, after checking the veracity of the same. The engineering Joint Entrance Examination (JEE)-Main began at 9 am across the country on Tuesday. The court said any aggrieved student can file an application to the NTA via their centre coordinator.

"The situation is grim in several districts due to flood. Students should not suffer for no fault on their part. The National Testing Agency shall then decide on the application after consulting with the district collector concerned within a period of 15 days, the court-ordered.

Just ahead of the JEE Main examination scheduled for Tuesday morning, the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court will take up for urgent hearing a plea filed by a citizen seeking its postponement for students residing in flood-hit parts of Maharashtra's Vidarbha region.

Bawankar highlighted problems being faced by students

The examination is scheduled to start at 9 am and the court has posted the matter for hearing at 8.30 am on Tuesday. The HC, on its own motion, took up the matter for hearing on Monday evening when it was brought to its notice a letter sent by Nitesh Bawankar, a resident of Bhandara.

In its letter, Bawankar highlighted the problems being faced by students appearing for JEE-Main examination and residing in flood-hit areas of Nagpur, Amravati, Akola, Chandrapur, Gondiaand Gadchiroli districts.

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Due to floods, students from these areas will find it difficult to appear for the JEE-Main examination, he said. A division bench of Justices R K Deshpande and Pushpa Ganediwala asked the respondents, the Maharashtra government, the Centre and the National Testing Agency, to consider postponing the examination for students residing in flood-affected areas.

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(Representative image: PTI)