Life has to go on despite COVID-19: SC rejects plea seeking delay in NEET, JEE

New Delhi: NEET and JEE Main 2020: The Supreme Court on Monday rejected the plea seeking postponement of NEET and JEE examinations 2020. A three-judge bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra said that “life has to go on” despite Covid and the court cannot put career of students in peril by interfering with the decision of the National Testing Agency.

“Career of students cannot be put in peril. We find no merit in the petition. The petition is dismissed”, the bench which also comprised justices BR Gavai and Krishna Murari said.

“You (lawyers) have demanded opening of physical courts. But you want exams to be postponed. Postponment of exams is a loss for country,” the bench said.

Petitioner’s lawyer Alakh Alok Srivastava said that vaccine for Covid is “on its way” and he is not seeking an indefinite postponment of the exams. But the bench found no merit in the case.

Another petition praying that NEET and JEE should be held as per schedule, was withdrawn by the petitioner after the court rejected the plea seeking postponement.

Earlier this month, a plea was filed before the Supreme Court by 11 students belonging to 11 states seeking the postponement of JEE and NEET 2020 exams till the situation due to the covid-19 pandemic normalizes. The plea sought quashing of National Testing Agency’s (NTA) July 3 notice, to hold of JEE and NEET entrance examination in September.

As per the public notices notified by the NTA, JEE (Main) 2020 exam is scheduled to be held from September 1-6, while the NEET-UG 2020 exam is scheduled for September 13.

Conducting JEE and NEET at this stage will put lives of lakhs of young students in danger, the petition filed by 11 JEE/NEET aspirants said. “The best recourse at this stage can be to wait for some more time, let Covid-19 Crisis subside and then only conduct these Exams, in order to save the lives of the students and their parents,” the petition said.

Earlier, JEE mains was scheduled to be conducted in April and May respectively, which was later postponed due to the Covid-19 disease outbreak.