Lakhs of students and parents were left dejected after the Supreme court on Friday dismissed the plea filed by ministers of six opposition-ruled states seeking a review of its August 17 order allowing the conduct of NEET and JEE examinations physically.
A bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, B R Gavai and Krishna Murari said the plea did not merit reconsideration.
The ministers had claimed that the top court order failed to secure students' "right to life" and ignored "teething logistical difficulties" to be faced in conducting the exams during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The review plea was filed by ministers from West Bengal (Moloy Ghatak), Jharkhand (Rameshwar Oraon), Rajasthan (Raghu Sharma), Chhattisgarh (Amarjeet Bhagat), Punjab (B.S. Sidhu) and Maharashtra (Uday Ravindra Sawant).
National Testing Agency (NTA) which conducts both the exams is holding JEE Main Exams from September 1 to September 6, while NEET exams will be held on September 13.
The apex court had on August 17, dismissed a plea by one Sayantan Biswas and others seeking direction to NTA to postpone them after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta assured that all safeguards would be taken.
Terming the decision to conduct the exam as irrational, the plea said that the top court failed to appreciate that the Union government had adequate time to establish at least one centre for every district for NEET (UG) and JEE (Mains) rather than having several centres in one district.
The review petition said the mere fact that lakhs of students have registered for the exam is not indicative of their consent or their willingness or their desire to attend physical exams.