New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India has decided not to interfere with the number of attempts for the Joint Entrance Examination Advanced (JEE Advanced) exam. However, it has allowed petitioners who dropped out of their courses between November 5 and November 18, 2024, to register for the JEE Advanced exam.
A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih passed the order while hearing the pleas filed by the candidates against bringing down the attempts from three to two by the Joint Admission Board (JAB).
JAB takes U-turn
The Joint Admission Board (JAB) has decided to restore the earlier eligibility criteria within a month after increasing the number of attempts for the Joint Entrance Examination Advanced (JEE Advanced) from two to three this year.
It has issued a press release on November 5 which said candidates who appeared for the class 12 examination in academic years 2023, 2024 and 2025 would be eligible to appear for the JEE Advanced 2025 exam. On November 18, another press release was issued by JAB restricting the eligibility only to two academic years – 2024 and 2025.
The official notice reads, “The earlier eligibility criterion used in previous years pertaining to number of attempts in JEE (Advanced), in supersession of the criterion mentioned in Press Release dated November 05, 2024. This has been done after considering various competing requirements in the meeting of JAB held on November 15, 2024. This has resulted in restoring the earlier eligibility criteria followed since 2013.”
JEE Advanced aspirants vs JAB: Supreme Court verdict
The abrupt changes in the JEE Advanced eligibility criteria have prompted candidates to file a petition against JAB. A total of 22 students have filed the petition challenging the JAB’s decision on the number of attempts. The petitioners have claimed that they passed their 12th class exams in 2023 and have already joined engineering colleges. Candidates have started preparing for the JEE Advanced 2025 exam by investing time and money. They have already registered for the JEE Main 2025 exam and paid the application fee. Many candidates are not only taking coaching classes but also spending money on study materials and books for their studies.
“If the students, acting on the said representation (of November 5), have dropped from their course with an understanding that they would be entitled to appear for JEE examination, the withdrawal of the promise on November 18, 2024, cannot be permitted to act to their detriment,” the bench held.
The organising institute of JEE Advanced 2025, IIT Kanpur, has released the information brochure last month. It has also announced that the JEE Advanced 2025 will be held on May 18.
(With inputs of PTI)
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