6 States Seek SC’s Review To Hold NEET, JEE

Six opposition-ruled states have approached the Supreme Court seeking review of an order permitting the center to go ahead with holding the NEET and JEE examination for admission to the IITs amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The six states who sought the top court's review are West Bengal, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Punjab and Maharashtra. Each state is represented by a minister from the state.

The apex court had dismissed a petition filed by 11 students on August 17 from 1 state to postpone the two crucial examinations declaring that careers of students could not be put in jeopardy.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi also called a virtual meeting with 7 CMs to discuss the NEET, JEE exams where the Chief Ministers had expressed concern that states would be blamed and the Center would put the onus of conducting the exams on them, including arranging transportation and accommodation for students.

Several states are working cautiously to bring lives to normal after the coronavirus lockdown and are keeping an eye out for factors that could lead to a spike in COVID-19 cases.

The two key exams – the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) for admission to the Indian Institute of Technology and the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to medical courses – are scheduled to be held next month. The two exams are among the toughest exams in the country.

While the JEE is scheduled from September 1 to 6, the NEET exam is scheduled for September 13.