NEET JEE Main 2020: Plea in SC to direct NTA allow students who missed exams

NEET, JEE Exam: Plea filed in SC seeking assistance for student who missed the examination this year. Petitioner has asked the court to direct NTA to allow such students to appear for the exam next time.

Plea seeking another attempt at the JEE Main and NEET examination has been filed in the Supreme Court. Shashwat Anand, a lawyer and also the petitioner has asked the Supreme Court to take suo moto cognizance of the report of student who was not able to appear for the entrance examinations conducted by National Testing Agency because he was 10 minutes late. The plea further seeks the SC to direct NTA to permit ‘and facilitate the same to appear in such exams on further dates’.

It may be noted that for many students, 2020 was also the last year to attempt for the JEE Main or NEET 2020 examination. The plea seeks recourse for students who have been impacted. JEE Main 2020 was conducted from September 1 to September 6 and the result of the same has also been released. Meanwhile, NEET 2020 was conducted on September 13. Results are awaited for the undergraduate medical/ dentral entrance examination. 

This time due to the pandemic outbreak although NTA had made many provisions for the safe conduct of exams, many students decided not to appear and many could not appear due to unforeseen events. Related Article| NEET special trains ran with few passengers, aspirants made own arrangements to reach exam centre

NEET, JEE Main 2020: Plea in SC 

The plea urges the SC to direct NTA to conduct re-exams. It also seeks the various state governments to arrange for the transportation facilities for the students who would be appearing in these exams conducted by NTA this time. 

As per the plea, it has been asked, “ Issue a writ, order or direction, in the exercise of its inherent and plenary powers under Article 142 issuing/ laying down guidelines or directions for the students who miss out on exams like NEET, IIT, JEE etc owing to some of the other sufficient cause, to allow and facilitate the same to appear in such exams on further dates as may be notified by the respondents, inter alia, providing accommodations, food and water, transportation etc.”

NEET, JEE Main 2020: Exam statistics from across the country

However, the Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank expressed satisfaction over NEET exam conducted on Sunday across the country despite COVID-19 pandemic and said that it was more successful than JEE Main and 90 per cent students took part in it. “NEET examination became more successful than JEE Main. It was a big challenge for us,” the minister said to the reporters.

As per the Education Ministry, out of 8.58 lakh applicants, 6.35 lakh appeared for the engineering test from September 1 to 6. The exam was conducted after being deferred twice in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Corrigendum: It is notified that it was erroneously reported that the plea seeks re-examination. Plea in SC seeks assistance and facility for the students who have missed the exam and recourse for the same. The story has been updated since. Error is deeply regretted. 

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