New Delhi, August 21: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Subramanian Swamy on Friday said he has spoken to the Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and urged him to conduct NEET 2020 and other examinations after Diwali festival. In a tweet, Subramanian Swamy also said he will writing a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi too, seeking the postponement of NEET 2020 and other exams. NEET 2020: NTA to Release Exam Admit Cards Shortly on nta.ac.in Amid Demands For Postponement, Students Allotted Test Centres.

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) are to be conducted in September, while Diwali festival will be celebrated in November. "I have just spoken to the Minister of Education suggesting that NEET and other exams be conducted after Deepavali. The SC order the other day is not a bar since the Hon’ble Court has left the date to the government. I am sending an urgent letter to the PM just now," Swamy tweeted.

NEET 2020, Other Exams Should Be Conducted After Diwali, Subramanian Swamy Tells Education Minister:

The Rajya Sabha MP was referring to the dismissal of a plea seeking the postponement of NEET and JEE by the Supreme Court earlier this week. The petitioner had submitted that the risk of COVID-19 was increasing and several other exams have been cancelled. Rejecting the plea, the apex court noted that the postponement of the exams will put the career of the students in peril.

A bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra said if the exams are not held, then would it not be a loss for the country? Students will lose the academic year. Declining to entertain the plea, Justice Mishra told the petitioners' counsel, "Are you not demanding that the court should be opened up amid Covid? Do you see this glass partition here. When we are getting ready to open up, you say exams should not be held?"

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 21, 2020 04:40 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).