NEET, JEE 2020: Ministers from six states move SC for postponement of exams

On friday, six Ministers of opposition-ruled states moved the Supreme Court seeking review of its order permitting the Centre to conduct NEET and JEE entrance exams this year amid the persisting coronavirus pandemic.

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

The plea was filed through advocate Sunil Fernandes. The apex court order fails to satisfy safety and security concerns of students appearing for the exams.
On Aug 17, the top court had refused to interfere with the conduct of medical and engineering entrance exams — NEET and JEE scheduled to take place in September saying that life must go on and students can’t lose a precious year due to the pandemic.

The SC had dismissed a plea by Sayantan Biswas and others seeking direction to National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts both the NEET and JEE exams, to postpone them after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta assured that all safeguards would be taken.