NEET-JEE row: Two students write to CJI Bobde, seek urgent intervention of the SC

Days after the Education Ministry held its ground on conducting the upcoming competitive exams, two students have approched the Supreme Court through a letter petition to the Chief Justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde seeking the postponement of NEET and JEE exam on humanitarian grounds. A third-year law student and a 12th class student sought the top court's intervention as the Centre continues to remain stern on holding the exams amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Centre has confirmed that the NEET exam will be held on September 13 while the JEE (Main) too will be held from 1 September to 6 September 2020.

"The decision to hold exams during the COVID-19 pandemic is a clear violation of article 21 of the Constitution in as much as it forces all students, who wish to participate in the said examination, to either endanger their lives and health by exposing themselves to the virus or risk their academic future by losing a chance to appear in the said enterance examination," the students wrote urging that issues requre urgent and kind attention of the apex court. 

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'Will expose them to the risk of infection'

Furthermore, the students highlighted, "Many students live far from the examination centres and will have to travel large distances in public transport to appear in the examinations, which will expose them to the risk of getting infected. AIIMS has recommended that wearing a mask for more than 2.5 hours at a stretch is unsafe for any person, but even then these minor children are expected to wear a mask and give the entrance examinations for long hours." 

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Meanwhile, on August 17, the Supreme Court dismissed a plea seeking the postponement of JEE Main 2020 and NEET UG 2020 entrance examinations. The top court said that the postponement of exams will result in students losing an academic year and will put their careers in peril. Opposition parties in the country, led by the Congress, have also united in echoing the postponement of the competitive exams. 

Amid the row over the NEET and JEE exams, Union Education Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank on Wednesday had stated that keeping in mind the order of the Supreme Court and the current situation of the pandemic, the exam dates had been finalised after two deferments. The Education Minister revealed that about 85% of the students appearing for the exams had already downloaded their admit cards and were ready to sit for their tests after much preparation. To be sure, he upheld that the exams will go on as currently scheduled.  

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“Students and guardians constantly put pressure on us to conduct NEET & JEE exams. They asked us till when will we keep studying. Keeping the situation in mind, we pushed it back once, then twice. During this time, the Supreme Court opined that the full academic year can’t be wasted. They said, even if there is a pandemic situation, we can not risk the future of the students," he said.  

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