New Delhi: The Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court today refused to stay the JEE-Main examination, but allowed students residing in flood-hit areas of Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region, who cannot reach the exam centre or reach late, to apply to the National Testing Agency to seek a re-examination.
A Division bench of Justice R.K. Deshpande and Justice Pushpa V. Ganediwala directed the National Testing Agency (NTA) to consider such applications and decide accordingly, after checking the veracity of the same.
Court noted that the flood situation in Bhandara, Gondia, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli is grim and also saw that it may not be possible for the students to reach their centres to appear for the JEE Main examination, the preparation for which goes on for a year. Thus, the Court called upon Collectors of the above districts and the Municipal Authorities as well as the National Testing Agency to consider the question of postponing the JEE-Main Examination for the students residing in the flood affected areas because they were unable to reach the centres.
Additional Solicitor General Ulhas Aurangabadkar appeared for the National Testing Agency, and after taking instructions, submitted that the Apex Body of the JEE-Main Examination shall consider the representation, if any, received through the Co-ordinator or the Agency conducting Examination in the District, by the student who would not be in a position to attend the JEE-Main Examination due to flood situation or due to problem of transport and communication.
The court said any aggrieved student can file an application to the NTA via their centre coordinator.The National Testing Agency shall then decide on the application after consulting with the district collector concerned within a period of 15 days, the court-ordered.
The engineering Joint Entrance Examination (JEE)-Main was scheduled to be held today at 9:AM.
The HC, on its own motion, took up the matter for hearing on Monday evening when it was brought to its notice a letter sent by Nitesh Bawankar, a resident of Bhandara.
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In its letter, Bawankar highlighted the problems being faced by students appearing for JEE-Main examination and residing in flood-hit areas of Nagpur, Amravati, Akola, Chandrapur, Gondia and Gadchiroli districts.
Read the order here;
Court-on-its-own-motion-v-Union-of-India-India Legal Bureau