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JEE Advanced Attempt Limit Case: Students who dropped out of colleges between November 5 and November 18 will be permitted to attempt the JEE Advanced three times.
Supreme Court grants relief to students who withdrew from colleges between November 5-18, allowing them 3 attempts.
The Supreme Court has ordered that students who dropped out of college between November 5 and November 18 will be permitted to attempt the JEE Advanced three times, in accordance with the Joint Admission Board’s initial notification. This decision comes after the abrupt withdrawal of the extended eligibility period, which had initially allowed students from the 2023, 2024, and 2025 batches to appear for the exam.
During the hearing, Advocate Parameshwar informed the court about the eligibility criteria changes for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced, administered by the Joint Admission Board (JAB). On November 5, JAB announced that students graduating in 2023, 2024, and 2025 would be eligible to take the exam. However, just 13 days later, the eligibility was reduced to students from the 2024 and 2025 batches only.
Terming the withdrawal of the extended eligibility as arbitrary, Advocate Parameshwar stated, “I can give a list of people who actually dropped out from colleges and engineering colleges thinking they would give exams. Having promised that students in 2023, 2024 and 2025 would take exams, let them.”
Solicitor General of India, Tushar Mehta, representing the JAB, defended the decision to limit the number of attempts to two. He argued that allowing three attempts could distract students who enrol in general engineering colleges but continue preparing for IITs.
He explained that the revised policy aimed to reduce academic disruption by encouraging students to focus on their current courses after two unsuccessful attempts at JEE Advanced.
The Court noted the submissions, highlighting that the original notification by JAB on November 5, 2024, allowed students who appeared in Class 12th in 2023, 2024, and 2025 to take the exam. However, this eligibility was abruptly reduced to two batches. The court recognised that based on this promise, some students had withdrawn from colleges to pursue the IIT exams, and the sudden change was detrimental to their plans.
The court ordered: “In the press release dated November 5, 2024, a clear promise was made to the students that those who had appeared for the Class 12 exam in 2023, 2024 and 2025 would be eligible to appear for JEE(Advanced). If the students acting on the said representation have dropped from their course with the understanding that they would be entitled to appear for JEE, the withdrawal of promise on November 18, 2024, cannot act to their detriment. In the peculiar facts and circumstances, without observing anything on the merits of the decision taken by JAB, such of the students who have withdrawn from their courses and dropped out between November 5, 2024 and November 18, 2024 would be permitted to register for JEE(Advanced). With the aforesaid direction, the petition was disposed of.”
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Notably, three attempts will be granted only to those students who approached the Supreme Court. In November last year, the Board increased the limit for JEE Advanced attempts to three. However, within a few weeks, the decision was reversed, and the two-attempt policy was reinstated.
