JEE, NEET 2020: Minor Candidate Requests CJI to Postpone Exams

JEE, NEET 2020: A 17-year-old JEE applicant has sent a letter to the Chief Justice of India, urging to postpone the upcoming NEET / JEE exams in the scrutiny of the COVID 19 pandemic and other natural disasters in India.

The letter highlights that the country is not only battling the deadly virus, but hundreds of districts are affected by incessant rains, floods, and landslides, making it highly impossible for students to appear for the upcoming entrance exams.

'Conducting aforesaid exams at such perilous time is nothing else but putting lives of lakhs of young students and their family members at the utmost risk of disease and death, which is patently violative of their 'Right to Health' which is included within 'Right to Life' under Article 21 of Constitution of India.

The biggest sufferers are the students belonging to the flood-affected areas and those belonging to the middle class and/or underprivileged class, who are deprived of safe transportation, accommodation, study materials etc.

The other sufferers are specially-abled (Divyang) aspirants, including visually impaired aspirants, who rely upon physical touch even for walking or for their other day to day activities,' he wrote.

The JEE (Main) exam is scheduled to held between September 1-6, 2020, while the NEET UG exam is on September 13, 2020.

The letter mentions that many states still impose the lockdown and movement is severely restricted in various containment zones and therefore taking the exam on the dates mentioned above will cause widespread 'harassment'.

'The most significant change in circumstance is that many State Governments have come forward and have clearly stated that they would not be able to implement the SOPs or ensure health and safety of so many aspirants if the said Exams are conducted on the given dates.'

It is further noted that the National Testing Agency recently held the NCHM-JEE Exam for Hotel Management and practically no standard operating procedures were followed, nor social was distancing maintained. Thus, students are scared that they may be infected and even transmit the virus to their families, which is causing stress and anxiety.

Moreover, it is stated that students should wear face masks for more than 5-6 hours on the date of the exams and thus would be forced to reduce the oxygen level, which would result in slower brain function and so it is even in the interest of health to postpone these Exams.

He has emphasized that he is his only seeking the "postponement" of the exam, and it is argued that once the difficulties mentioned above subside, the exam can be held with the proper implementation of COVID 19 SoPs.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court dismissed a request for postponement from NEET and JEE, saying the delay of the exams will jeopardize the "career of the students."