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Synopsis

While refusing to review the reduction of JEE Advanced attempts, the Supreme Court of India on Friday, January 10, granted relief to drop-out students who challenged the decision to reduce the number of attempts for the Joint Entrance Examination (Advanced) from three to two.

A bench of Justices BR Gavai and Augustine George Masih, in its order, said, "In the peculiar facts and circumstances, without commenting on the merits of JAB’s decision, students who withdrew from their courses and dropped out between November 5, 2024, and November 18, 2024, will be permitted to register for JEE (Advanced)."

Clarifying that it is not questioning the Joint Admission Board (JAB), the court said, "Be that as it may, we are not considering the wisdom of Respondent No. 2 in restricting the zone of consideration either for two years or for three years. If Respondent No. 2 has restricted the zone of consideration only to two years, no fault could be found with the same."

At the outset, Senior Advocate K. Parmeshwar, appearing for the petitioners, argued that initially, it was decided to allow three attempts. However, within thirteen days, the decision was revoked.

Hearing this, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the JAB, submitted that the decision was taken in the larger interest of the students. He contended before the bench that due to the extended period of consideration, the students could not concentrate on their studies and only spent their time preparing for JEE (Advanced).

On Thursday, the Top Court had agreed to hear a petition challenging the Joint Admission Board’s (JAB) decision to reduce the number of attempts for the JEE Advanced from three to two.

The plea, filed through advocate Sanjeet Kumar Trivedi, claimed that JAB, the authority responsible for conducting the JEE-Advanced exam, abruptly changed the eligibility rules in an 'arbitrary' manner. While noting the abrupt changes in the eligibility criteria, the plea emphasised that such a decision affects thousands of students, depriving them of the opportunity to enter the IITs.

Case Title: MITHIN MONDAL & ORS v UNION OF INDIA & ORS.