NEET, JEE 2020 Row LIVE Updates: SC to Hear Today Review Pleas by 6 States Seeking Exam Postponement

Over 82% Candidates Appeared in JEE-Main on 3rd Day | More than 82 per cent candidates appeared in the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE)-Main on the third day of the test on Thursday, amid stringent precautions in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said. The Ministry of Education officials said while the Thursday's attendance in the engineering entrance exam was 82.14 per cent, it was 81.08 per cent on Wednesday.

Hearing of NEET JEE Review Petition at 1:30 pm | The hearing of the review petition filed by ministers of six opposition-ruled states is scheduled for 1:30 pm today. A Supreme Court bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, BR Gavai and Krishna Murari will consider the review plea in chambers.

Court's Reasons Don't Constitute Comprehensive Judicial Scrutiny' | The plea said only two reasons given by the court - life must go on and students should not lose an academic year - do not constitute an authoritative and comprehensive judicial scrutiny of the issue. It said the court's observation that "life must go on" may have very sound philosophical underpinnings but cannot be a substitute for valid legal reasoning and logical analysis of the various aspects involved in the conduct of the NEET UG and JEE exams.

The petition said as per the NTA, approximately 9.53 lakh and 15.97 lakh students have registered for JEE (Main) and NEET (UG), respectively. The plea said JEE Mains is slated to be conducted over 660 exam centres with 9.53 lakhs students appearing for it, roughly 1,443 students per centre. Similarly for NEET UG, 15.97 lakhs students will appear in 3,843 centres across the country, nearly 415 students per centre, it said.

On the first day of the JEE exam, a student sanitises her hands at the entry of the venue of the examination hall

45% of JEE Candidates Skip Exam in Gujarat |  Some 45 per cent candidates from Gujarat skipped the Joint Entrance Exams (JEE) which began nationwide on Tuesday for admission in engineering and pharmacy courses. A senior official said the percentage of students skipping the test stood at 25-30 per cent in earlier years and the current figure was "10-15 per cent" more. The state government had said on Monday that 38,167 students had registered for the exam being conducted by the

Students' Nationwide Opposition to JEE NEET Exams | Students from across the country, adversely affected by the pandemic, shutdowns and floods are growing more anxious as the dates for NEET and JEE draw closer. Some haven’t been out of their homes for months, some are reeling from devastation caused by floods, absence of transport facilities is the concern of some students, and many are worried that they, along with their parents who’ll accompany them to the test centres, could get infected by the novel Coronavirus.

The dropout number — approximate 25 per cent — takes the spotlight back on the demand for a change in exam dates due to the ranging Covid-19 pandemic. Only 343,958 went to give the exams on the first three days. About 54.67 per cent aspirants gave the exam on day one, 81 per cent gave it on day two and day three say an attendance of 82 per cent.

Nearly 25% Students Drop Out from JEE Mains in First 3 Days, Data Shows | Meanwhile, in a data released yesterday, the Education Ministry revealed that out of the total 458,521 students who had registered to sit for the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE)-Mains for admission to engineering colleges, at least 114,563 students dropped out from appearing in the first three days.

'SC Fails to Satisfy Safety of Students' | The plea, filed through advocate Sunil Fernandes, said the apex court order fails to satisfy the safety and security concerns of students who have to appear for the exams. The court had refused to interfere with the conduct of the medical and engineering entrance exams, saying that life must go on and students can't lose a precious year due to the pandemic.

The petition said as per the NTA, approximately 9.53 lakh and 15.97 lakh students have registered for JEE (Main) and NEET (UG), respectively. The plea said JEE Mains is slated to be conducted over 660 exam centres with 9.53 lakhs students appearing for it, roughly 1,443 students per centre. Similarly for NEET UG, 15.97 lakhs students will appear in 3,843 centres across the country, nearly 415 students per centre, it said.

The Prayer in Review Petition | The ministers of six non-BJP-ruled states had said that the Supreme Court's order failed to secure students' "right to life" and ignored "teething logistical difficulties" to be faced in conducting the exams during the coronavirus pandemic. The review plea has been filed by ministers from West Bengal (Moloy Ghatak), Jharkhand (Rameshwar Oraon), Rajasthan (Raghu Sharma), Chhattisgarh (Amarjeet Bhagat), Punjab (BS Sidhu) and Maharashtra (Uday Ravindra Sawant).

SC Bench to Hear Review Plea in Chambers | A bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, BR Gavai and Krishna Murari will consider the review plea in chambers. The review matters in the top court are usually considered 'in-chambers' through circulation of the petition among all the judges of the bench. The judges then decide 'in-chambers' whether there is any merit in the review petition to re-examine the case in the open court hearing.

SC's August 17 Order Allowing JEE-NEET 2020 | While dismissing the students’ pleas for postponement of exams, the Supreme Court, in its judgement, upheld the Centre's decision to hold the competitive examinations. It said, "A crucial year of students cannot be wasted and life has to go on".

SC to Hear Review Petition for NEET JEE Exams Today | The Supreme Court will today hear a review petition filed by ministers of six opposition-ruled states against its August 17 order allowing the National Test Agency (NTA) to hold NEET and JEE exams physically in September, amid nationwide opposition from students. The petition said as per the NTA, approximately 9.53 lakh and 15.97 lakh students have registered for JEE (Main) and NEET (UG), respectively.