NEET and JEE to be held as scheduled, cannot be postponed: SC

The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to medical and dental colleges in the country and the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) for admission to IIT’s have to be held as scheduled and cannot be postponed, the Supreme Court said on Monday.

The court said students’ careers cannot be “put under jeopardy” by post-posing the exams, which are scheduled to be conducted in September. “Postponement of exams is a loss to the country,” the court said while dismissing a petition that wanted the exams to be postponed in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Authorities assured the court that proper precautions will be taken for the safety of students giving the exams.

The NEET is to be conducted on September 13. The JEE Main is scheduled for September 1 to 6 and the JEE Advanced is to be held on September 27. The exams have already been postponed twice before after the schedule of class XII exams were affected due to the COVID 19 lockdown that was announced on March 24.

The petition was filed by a bunch of students earlier this month saying the exams should be postponed till the situation returns to normal after the COVID-19 pandemic