(Image source from: indiatvnews.com)

11 students from 11 states across India moved the Supreme Court on Thursday demanding the postponement of imminent JEE Mains and Advanced exams in September.

Students across India are seeking deferment of JEE Mains and NEET entrance exams beyond September to the risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Around 11 students from 11 states in India wrote a petition to the Supreme Court seeking postponement.

India wide Parents’ Association Chief, Anubha Shrivastava Sahai told the media that there is hope of consideration of students demand by the Supreme Court as their reason is fair and genuine. The association is confident that the Supreme Court will give justice to the students.

The petition filed by Advocate Alok Shrivastava on the request of these 11 students stated that the JEE and NEET 2020 exams should be conducted only after the normalcy is achieved in the country post the crisis of COVID-19.

The petition also urged for the increase in number of examination centers so as to provide at least one examination center for one district. The petition also seeks fresh opportunities for the JEE and NEET applicants to submit their application forms and choose their exam centers afresh.

The petition states that,

Due to unhealthy conditions in the country due to COVID-19, many applicants of JEE Mains and NEET exams of 2020 might not be able to attend the exams which will be a flagrant violation of their fundamental right to equality as stated in the Article 14 of the Constitution of India.

NTA has decided to conduct JEE through online mode and NEET through offline mode at 161 centers across India which is arbitrary and violative of fundamental rights to the lives of lakhs of affected students.

NTA has indefinitely postponed the National Council of Hotel Management Joint Entrance Exam (NCHM-JEE) 2020 which was scheduled to be conducted on August 22 this year but has confirmed the dates of conducting JEE Mains and NEET 2020 exams in September amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

Meanwhile, students across the country are tweeting using the #saveJEE_NEETstudentsPM on Twitter to make their voices heard by the Prime Minister.

A student tweeted saying that he does not trust the SOP after the KCET failure. He said that nobody would come and ask the students if they are fine or not after the exam is conducted. So, the students’ lives are not something to be played with. He demanded the postponement of exams as soon as possible.

Another student took to twitter to say that SOP has also been formulated for frontline workers in the country but they too could not escape from the virus. Politicians with high security too are catching the virus. The students cannot expect to be free from the virus if they attend the exam.

By Gayatri Yellayi