Plea in Supreme Court seeks postponement of JEE (Main), NEET-UG exams amid COVID-19

A plea in Supreme Court on Thursday sought postponement of JEE (Main) April 2020 and NEET-Undergraduate examinations, which are scheduled to be conducted in September, amid spurt in number of COVID-19 cases in country.

While referring to coronavirus pandemic, plea has sought quashing of July 3 tices issued by National Testing ncy (NTA), by which it was decided to conduct Joint Entrance Examination (Main) April 2020 and National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET)-Undergraduate exams in September.

plea, filed by 11 students belonging to 11 states, said that authorities be directed to conduct se exams only after rmalcy is restored.

As per public tices issued by NTA, JEE (Main) April 2020 is scheduled from September 1-6, while NEET UG 2020 exam is scheduled for September 13.

plea, filed through advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava, has also sought direction to authorities to increase number of examination centres for se exams.

"Conducting aforesaid examination across India at such perilous time, is thing else but putting lives of lakhs of young students (including petitioners herein) at utmost risk and danger of disease and death. best recourse at this st can be to wait for some more time, let COVID-19 crisis subside and n only conduct se exams, in order to save lives of students and ir parents," plea said.

It claimed that NTA, which conducts entrance exams for admission in higher educational institutions in India, has decided to conduct JEE (Main) April-2020 through online mode and NEET UG-2020 exams through offline mode at 161 centres across India.

It alleged that NTA has indefinitely postponed National Council of Hotel Manment Joint Entrance Examination-2020, which was scheduled to be conducted on June 22, in wake of COVID-19 pandemic.

"While deciding to conduct aforesaid JEE (Main) April-2020 and NEET UG-2020 exams in month of September, 2020, respondents (NTA and ors) have overlooked that many states have refused to allow conducting of any professional or n-professional exams in ir states at this st and hence same is likely to cause unimaginable harassment to petitioners and or similarly situated students," it said.

"It is respectfully submitted that students who are well equipped with computer and strong internet connection will give online exams while in or hand students who are unable to give and arrange online exams, will have to come to exam centres by risking ir lives. This is a discrimination between students which must be avoided," it claimed.

plea has alleged that concerned authorities have igred plight of lakhs of students from Bihar, Assam and rth eastern states, which are presently reeling under flood, and conducting eir online or offline exams in such places may t be possible.

(Photo Credit: PTI)