[Breaking]: "Career of students cannot be put under jeopardy", Supreme Court dismisses plea to postpone NEET, JEE exams amid COVID-19

The Supreme Court today dismissed a petition seeking the postponement of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) scheduled to be held amid the COVID-19 pandemic..The Bench of Justices Arun Mishra, BR Gavai, and Krishna Murari was hearing a petition seeking postponement of the NEET and JEE filed by as many as 11 aspirants from across various states. The plea also sought a direction for the National Testing Agency (NTA) to conduct the exams only when normalcy returns after the COVID-19 pandemic..At the outset of today's hearing, Justice Mishra observed,."Life cannot be stopped. We have to move ahead with all safeguards and all... Are you (students) ready to waste one whole year?"Justice Arun Mishra.Appearing for the petitioners, Advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava took the Court through various developments surrounding postponement of other exams amid the pandemic. Referring to the cancellation of CBSE and ICSE exams, and the postponement of AIBE, he said,"We are not looking for indefinite postponement.".Appearing for the National Testing Agency (NTA), Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted that all safeguards would be taken while conducting the exams..The Court went on to dismiss the plea, observing,"Career of students cannot be put under jeopardy for long.".With this, the Court made it clear that the NEET and JEE exams would not be postponed..A separate petition calling for the exams to be held as per schedule was also disposed of, with the Court observing that the grievances highlighted in the plea don't exist anymore..The petitioners have urged the Apex Court to direct the Centre to cancel the NEET and JEE (Main) exams scheduled for September. It was also urged that the number of NEET and JEE examination centres across the country be increased, and that at least one centre be provided in one district of each state..The plea further seeks the indulgence of the Court to allow the aspirants fresh opportunities to fill application forms. The aggrieved students have stated that even though exams are due to be held in September, the rising number of COVID-19 cases remains as a major concern. The petition states,."Lakhs of young students are likely to appear in the aforesaid JEE (Main) April-2020 and NEET UG-2020 Exams in the months of September, 2020. Meanwhile, COVID-19 cases are increasing in India at an alarming rate. The deadly pandemic COVID-19 has already affected about 20 Lakh people in India and situation is worsening by every passing day. Conducting the aforesaid examination across India at such perilous time, is nothing else but putting lives of lakhs of young students (including Petitioners herein) at utmost risk and danger of disease and death.".The plea states that the NTA's decision to hold the exams in September is "utterly arbitrary, whimsical and violative of the fundamental right to life of lakhs of the affected students as enshrined within Article 21 of the Constitution of India and thus liable to quashed and set aside on this ground alone.".The 11 students go on to seek parity with students who were scheduled to appear for CA, ICSE and CBSE exams. These exams were cancelled after the Apex Court had intervened..Simultaneously, a body of students' parents had moved the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the NTA and the Ministry of Education to ensure that NEET UG-20 and JEE (Main)-20 are held in September 2020 as notified in the second revised schedule..[BREAKING] Parents body moves Supreme Court to ensure JEE, NEET-UG exams are conducted in September as scheduled.The same prayer is sought in a second and separate petition filed by the parents of four students, who also seek for a direction to the NTA to ensure that the entrance exams are held in September as per the revised schedule. Advocates Mitul Shelat and Jaikriti S Jadeja appeared for the petitioners..[Exams during COVID-19] One more plea in SC against postponement of NEET/ JEE Exams .Read Order: