JEE Main 2023: Today, on May 2, the Bombay High Court will be hearing a plea that challenges the 75 percent eligibility criterion for the current JEE Main 2023 attempt. The plea has been filed to request the removal of this criterion.
According to the Public Interest Litigation (PIL), students who have scored below the 75 percent eligibility criterion may still perform exceptionally well in the upcoming JEE Main 2023. The PIL argues that the eligibility criterion does not reflect a student’s true ability, and if they are denied a fair chance, it will impact the future of numerous bright students. Therefore, the plea seeks to provide equal opportunities to all students, regardless of their marks in their Class 12 board exams.
What is the 75% eligibility criterion?
Recently, the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced brochure has stated that candidates must have achieved a minimum of 75 percent in their Class 12 board exams, with SC, ST, and PwD candidates requiring a minimum of 65 percent aggregate marks, or they must be in the category-wise top 20 percentile of successful candidates from their respective boards. Child activist Anubha Srivastava Sahai has filed a plea in the Bombay High Court regarding this eligibility criterion. The case was heard on April 24 by Acting Chief Justice Sanjay V Gangapurwala and Justice Sandeep V Marne. However, Rui Rodrigues, representing the National Testing Agency (NTA), requested more time to file a response and asked that the matter be heard after one week.
The bench expressed their reluctance to intervene in an education case unless it was an exceptional circumstance. They noted that Article 226 of the Constitution would need to be considered, and that they do not possess powers under Article 142. It is worth noting that this eligibility condition existed before Covid-19, and it was only relaxed during Covid-19.
