Telangana's Mrinal Kutteri, Delhi's Tanmay Gupta and Maharashtra's Karthika G Nair shared the top rank, scoring 720 out of 720. Eight transgender candidates have also cleared the examination.
The second shift of Common University Entrance Test (CUET)-UG scheduled on Thursday was cancelled across all centres while its first shift was postponed for a few centres across 17 states due to administrative and technical reasons, National Testing Agency officials said.
A three-judge bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra said career of students 'cannot be put under jeopardy for long'. 'Life has to go on. Life has to move ahead. Precious year of students cannot be wasted,' the bench, also comprising Justices B R Gavai and Krishna Murari, said during the hearing conducted through video conferencing while paving the way for commencement of the exams as scheduled.
The issue, which has been a matter of intense public discourse for past few months, has evoked contrasting views with many backing the holding of the tests fearing that it may lead to a zero academic year for students, and the Opposition and activists demanding their postponement in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In order to maintain social distancing, the NTA has increased the number of exam centres from originally-planned 2,546 to 3,843, while the number of candidates per room has been reduced from earlier 24 to 12.
Engineering entrance exam Joint Entrance Examination-Mains scheduled from May 24 to 28 has been postponed in view of the COVID-19 situation, according to the Ministry of Education's National Testing Agency (NTA).
Various state governments had announced free transportation and accommodation, including West Bengal that ran special metro service for candidates.
Paper one is conducted for admission to undergraduate engineering programmes -- BE and B.Tech -- at NITs, IIITs and other centrally-funded technical institutions, and institutions and universities funded and recognised by participating state governments.
Will it promote a CUET-centric coaching culture causing students to focus on the entrance rather than the Class 12th exams?
Reaching India in time to be able to complete the mandatory quarantine period before the exam, arranging a stay before taking a flight back home, additional expenses, the risk of contracting COVID-19 and being quarantined again back home, are among several concerns on the mind of the aspirants.
Keep in mind that JEE Main is all about speed and accuracy, advises Nitin Arora.
Kavya Chopra, also from Delhi zone, who became the first female to top the JEE-Main exam, has emerged as the topper in JEE-Advanced among females. She has scored 286 marks out of 360 with her overall rank being 98.
The last date to apply for the medical entrance exam is December 31.
The two crucial exams were postponed due to the lockdown imposed in the country to combat COVID-19. "JEE-Main will be held from July 18-23, while JEE-Advanced will be held in August. NEET will be conducted on July 26," Nishank said.
The students can appear both the times in NEET and the best of the two scores would be taken in account for admission, the minister said. NEET is conducted for admissions to medical institutions across the country.
The National Testing Agency said it has planned several steps to conduct the papers safely which include increasing the number of examination centers, alternate seating plan, fewer candidates per room and staggered entry and exit.
A total of 44 candidates have scored 100 percentile in the engineering entrance exam JEE-Main this year while 18 candidates have shared the top rank, ministry of education officials said on Tuesday at midnight.
'The NEET-UG 2021, will be held on 12th September across the country following COVID-19 protocols. The application process will begin from 5 pm tomorrow through the NTA website,' Pradhan said in a series of tweets.
The review plea has been filed by ministers from West Bengal (Moloy Ghatak), Jharkhand (Rameshwar Oraon), Rajasthan (Raghu Sharma), Chhattisgarh (Amarjeet Bhagat), Punjab (B S Sidhu) and Maharashtra (Uday Ravindra Sawant).
Candidates appearing for the exam in Kolkata were seen standing in queues while abiding by the social distancing norms.
While the NEET is scheduled to be held on September 13, engineering entrance exam JEE Main has been planned from September 1-6. Around 9.53 lakh candidates have registered for JEE-Mains and 15.97 lakh students have registered for NEET.
It's important to keep the momentum going leading up to the exam. Be consistent in your approach so you can reach your goals, says JEE educator Om Sharma.
The first attempt of JEE Main 2019 will be conducted from January 6 to 20, 2019.
'Applications seeking permission to file review petitions are allowed. We have carefully gone through the review petitions and the connected papers. We find no merit in the review petitions and the same are accordingly dismissed,' the bench said in its order.
Noting that over 17 lakh out of nearly 25 lakh candidates have already downloaded admit cards for the medical and engineering entrance exams, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' said his ministry has been receiving e-mails from students and parents that these exams should not be further postponed.
In a public notice issued on Saturday, the agency announced that the CUET will provide a single window opportunity to students to seek admission in any of the Central universities across the country.
The reforms proposed for the monster examinations, JEE and NEET, which take several students' lives every year don't go far enough.
