The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a petition filed by a group of students who had passed their Class 12 exams in 2023, seeking permission to appear for the JEE-Advanced 2025—the 2nd stage of the entrance test for Indian Institutes of Technology.
A bench comprising Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih held that the issue concerned educational policy and was not something the court should intervene in.
“Courts should be slow in interfering in matters of academia,” the bench said, declining to entertain the plea.
Students Claim Sudden Policy U-Turn
The petitioners, 18 IIT aspirants, argued they had been caught off guard by a policy reversal from the Joint Admission Board (JAB)—the body that administers JEE-Advanced. According to the petition, a press release issued on November 5, 2024, stated that students who completed their Class 12 exams in 2023, 2024, and 2025 would be eligible to appear for JEE-Advanced 2025.
However, that decision was reversed on November 18, narrowing eligibility to just those who completed school in 2024 and 2025. The students claimed this reversal was abrupt and arbitrary, effectively denying them their final opportunity to secure a seat in an IIT.
Disparity Between JEE-Mains & JEE-Advanced Highlighted
The students noted that they remained eligible to attempt JEE-Mains in 2025, but could not proceed to JEE-Advanced due to the changed eligibility rules. During the hearing, the bench questioned this inconsistency.
“Why don’t you restrict it to two even for Mains?” Justice Gavai asked. “It is better that now you bring two for both,” the bench observed, indicating the need for uniformity in exam attempts.
Government Defends Decision As Student-Centric
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the authorities, pointed to a January 10, 2025 Supreme Court order issued in a similar case. He noted that the government had justified the eligibility revision by stating that repeated attempts were leading students to lose focus on academic studies, spending years preparing for JEE-Advanced instead.
Mehta reiterated that the November 18, 2024 circular, which is under challenge, had been issued with the intent of encouraging students to approach the exam with greater seriousness and within a shorter time frame.
Petitioners Allege Unequal Opportunity
Representing the students, senior advocate Shadan Farasat argued that the mismatch in attempts between JEE-Mains and Advanced unfairly discriminated against those who passed Class 12 in 2023. He claimed this deprived them of a fair chance compared to students from subsequent batches.
The plea, filed through advocate Mrinmoi Chatterjee, emphasized that JEE is a two-stage examination, and barring eligible students from the second stage due to a policy shift amounted to unequal treatment.
Despite the arguments, the court chose not to intervene, emphasizing the autonomy of academic institutions in framing and modifying admission criteria.
Read More: Supreme Court, Delhi High Court, States High Court, International
