JEE,NEET Exams to go ahead, Supreme Court rejects states' plea to review order

The Supreme Court (SC), on Friday, September 4 rejected the review plea filed by six states urging the top court to review its August 17 order to conduct NEET-UG and JEE (Mains) examinations.

The exams are scheduled to be held in September 2020. The minister of the states, in their review plea, claimed that the SC order failed to secure students' "right to life" and overlooked "teething logistical difficulties" that will crop up in conducting the exams during the coronavirus pandemic.

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The review petition was filed by ministers from Chhattisgarh (Amarjeet Bhagat), Maharashtra (Uday Ravindra Sawant), West Bengal (Moloy Ghatak), Rajasthan (Raghu Sharma), Jharkhand (Rameshwar Oraon), and Punjab (B S Sidhu).

A three-judge bench of justices Ashok Bhushan, Krishna Murari, and BR Gavai took up the review plea in chambers. This means there were no open court hearings or arguments by the petitioners' lawyers.

Six opposition-ruled states (mentioned above), had on August 28, filed the review petition in the SC, challenging the conduct of JEE and NEET exams asking the court to postpone them keeping in mind the safety of the students appearing for the examinations in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The petitioners also contended that since a large number of candidates come from non-metro and rural areas, they would be at a disadvantage when compared to the students from urban areas as they could be compelled to take unsafe means of transport during the pandemic.

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