SC Restrains IITs From Conducting Counseling Till Further Order:- From conducting counseling or admitting students, subsequent to the Joint Entrance Examination this year, the Supreme Court, till further orders are passed, has restrained the Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) across the country.

Any writ petition relating to counseling and admissions to the IITs by the High Courts, from Friday onwards, has also been restrained by a bench of Justices comprising Dipak Misra and AM Khanwilkar. Apart from the number of petitions challenging the IIT-Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) 2017 rank list, the bench also wanted the petitions details that were pending before the High Courts. It also included awarding of additional marks to all candidates who had appeared in the test, was also sought by the bench.

For further hearing, the bench listed the matter on July 10. A notice had been issued by the apex court to the Ministry of Human Resource Development, on June 30, on a plea seeking quashing of the IIT-JEE 2017 rank list.

IIT aspirant Aishwarya Agarwal had filed the petition. To declare that the action of granting “bonus marks” to the candidates who had appeared in the JEE (Advanced) 2017 examination was wrong and violated her right, as well as that of other students, she had sought the court’s direction.

After ascertaining the scores of JEE (Advanced) and also award marks for the incorrect questions to the candidates who had attempted the right answers, the petition also sought a direction for preparation of the all- India rank list.

The petitioner, as an alternative, said fresh examination should be conducted by the institution. Moreover, a fresh merit list should be prepared or grant all students another opportunity to appear in the examination that is to be conducted next year.

On the merit list and the counseling, an interim stay was also sought by the petition, saying it would cause major influence to the petitioner and other deserving candidates.

SUPRAJA