In a recent decision, the Supreme Court allowed students who had dropped out of their courses between November 5 and 18, 2024, to register for the JEE (Advanced).

This order came after the Joint Admission Board (JAB) had initially stated on November 5, 2024, that students who cleared their Class 12 exams in 2023, 2024, or 2025 would be eligible to take the exam. However, the board later amended the statement after 13 days and declared that only those who had cleared their exams in 2024 or 2025 would be eligible.

During this period, there were some dropout students who claimed they had qualified for sitting on the examination since it was according to the announcement in the first term. The court held that these students should not be penalised for acting on that information.

The bench, comprising Justices B R Gavai and A G Masih, emphasised that the November 5 press release had made a clear promise to students about their eligibility, and that promise shouldn’t be retracted to their disadvantage. "If students dropped out with the understanding they could appear for JEE (Advanced), the withdrawal of that promise on November 19, 2024, can't be allowed to hurt them," the bench said.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, while arguing on behalf of the Board that normally, students were allowed only two chances, pointed out that this year an exception was first granted but then rescinded in the greater interest of the students. The court clarified that it wasn't challenging the merit of restricting eligibility to two years but was permitting students who had withdrawn between November 5 and 18 to also register for JEE (Advanced).