A day after Judge Arun Mishra’s retirement, the Supreme Court scheduled Friday’s hearing on a petition filed by cabinet ministers from six ruled non-BJP states seeking revision of the previous SC order allowing SC NEET-UG and JEE (Main) will be carried out.
Here is everything you need to know about the SC hearing:
* A court of judges Ashok Bhushan, BR Gavai and Krishna Murari will examine the petition for review in the chambers and decide whether it requires a public hearing via videoconference.
* Cabinet ministers from Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand had moved to SC on Friday seeking the postponement of NEET-UG and JEE (Main) to protect more than 25 lakh of students from serious risks to the health given the increasing number of infections and deaths from Covid-19.
* The joint petition was submitted by West Bengal Minister of Labor and Law Maloy Ghatak, Jharkhand Minister of Finance Rameshwar Oraon, Rajasthan Minister of Health Raghu Sharma, Chhattisgarh Minister of Food and Civil Supplies, Amarjeet Bhagat, Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu, and Maharashtra Minister of Higher Education Uday R Samant.
* The ministers requested review of the August 17 order from a bank headed by Judge Mishra, which had dismissed the PILs seeking the postponement / cancellation of NEET-UG and JEE (Main) on the basis of the pandemic. With Attorney General Tushar Mehta assuring the court that the National Testing Agency has taken every precaution to protect students from infection, the SC had said the exams could not be canceled because “life must go on.”
* On August 17, the supreme court dismissed a request by one Sayantan Biswas and others seeking instructions from the NTA to postpone them after Attorney General Tushar Mehta assured that all guarantees would be taken.
* The request for review says that the mere fact that thousands of students have registered for the exam is not indicative of their consent or willingness or desire to attend physical exams.
He said the August 17 order is “cryptic, non-verbal” and does not discuss the various aspects and complexities involved in an issue of this magnitude.
* The statement said that only two reasons given by the court – life must go on and students must not miss an academic year – they do not constitute a full and authorized judicial scrutiny of the matter.
* He said that the supreme court’s observation that “Life must go on” may have very strong philosophical foundations, 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 stated that according to the NIA press release, approximately 9.53 lakhs and 15.97 lakhs of students have registered for JEE (Main) and
NEET (UG) 2020 respectively.
* The petition said that JEE Mains is scheduled to take place in 660 test centers with 9.53 lakhs of students, approximately 1,443 students per center. Similarly for
NEET UG, 15.97 lakhs of students will appear in 3,843 centers across the country, almost 415 students per center, he said.
“Such a large movement of people will ipso facto prove to be a serious health hazard and will completely defeat the twin solutions we have today to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, that is, social distancing and avoiding large gatherings. public. Only in this short field, the contested Order deserves to be withdrawn and the examinations deserve to be postponed, ”the statement said.
* The petitioners do not wish to make any value judgment or political criticism of the Union government at this time, but the indisputable facts are that there has been an exponential increase in positive COVID-19 cases as well as deaths from the virus from April. .
* “It is quite ironic that in the initial stage, when there were a much smaller number of positive COVID-19 cases, the tests were postponed and now, when the daily spread of the virus is at its peak, it is indicated that the tests are carry out immediately, ”the plea said.
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