- By Sakshi Gupta
- Fri, 10 Jan 2025 02:29 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
JEE Advanced 2024: The Supreme Court has allowed applicants who dropped out of college between November 5 and November 18, 2024, to sit for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE)-Advanced three times, by the Joint Admission Board's (JAB) previous notification. This instruction comes after the exam's eligibility conditions, which had previously been increased to allow three attempts, were dramatically cut to two within 13 days.
Justices B.R. Gavai and Augustine George Masih presided over the hearing of the case. Senior counsel K. Parameshwar, who represented the petitioners, stated that the JAB's decision to modify the qualifying requirements mid-cycle was arbitrary and prejudiced numerous students.
According to LiveLaw, he noted that the initial interaction on November 5 offered qualification to students graduating in 2023, 2024, and 2025, prompting numerous students to make life-altering decisions based on this assurance.
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Sudden policy reversal causes criticism
Parameshwar cited examples of students who, in response to the JAB's November 5 announcement, dropped out of their existing college courses to prepare for JEE-Advanced, only to be barred from eligibility when the requirements were amended on November 18. "Having held out a promise, they cannot arbitrarily reverse their stance," he argued, noting that no rationale was provided for the abrupt shift in policy.
Government upholds the two-attempt limit
Tushar Mehta, the Solicitor General of India, represented the JAB and supported the decision to limit tries to two. He stated that allowing three attempts could disturb students' academic attention if they enrol in ordinary engineering courses but continue to prepare for IIT exams. According to him, the updated regulation aims to reduce academic waste by requiring students to focus on their present studies after two unsuccessful tries at JEE-Advanced.
However, Justice Gavai acknowledged the peculiar circumstances surrounding this year's notification. The court agreed that, while limiting tries is a sound policy in theory, the rapid reversal within 13 days caused disproportionate hardship to students who had acted on the previous notification. "If students have acted on this understanding, the withdrawal cannot be allowed to work to their detriment," Justice Gavai followed, LiveLaw reported.
The court issued an interim ruling, balancing student interests with the JAB's rationale. It was stated that students who had withdrawn from colleges between November 5 and November 18, 2024, based on the initial announcement, would be allowed to register and take the JEE-Advanced as per the previous eligibility criterion, which allowed three attempts.
