Reporting time of NEET, JEE exams should be same for all candidates irrespective of religion: NCM

National Commission for Minorities has stated that students of the Sikh community should not be asked to report at the Examination Centers of NEET, JEE etc hours in advance for scanning of Kara and/or Kirpan.

The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) has come out in support of Sikh community students and has stated that the reporting time of the examination should be the same for all the candidates irrespective of their religion.

The candidates belonging to the Sikh community had to report to the examination centres in advance for screening. The Commission has asked the National Testing Agency (NTA) which conducts the NEET, JEE and several other national level competitive exams, not to discriminate between the Sikh candidates and others on the basis of their articles of faith.

NCM issuing a statement has stated that it has been brought to the notice of the National Commission for Minorities that students belonging to the Sikh community are asked to report at the Examination Center hours in advance vis-à-vis candidates belonging to other communities for scanning of Kara and/or Kirpan, which are articles of faith, while appearing in examinations such as National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) etc.

The NCM in a press release said, in the light of the religious belief of the Sikh Community and the right guaranteed under Article 25, Explanation 1 of the Constitution of India, in the absence of any objective facts indicative, or suggestive of, a real threat of use of unfair means by those wearing Karas and Kirpans, the blanket ban on metallic objects would not be justified.

The release which was addressed to the Chairperson, National Testing Agency, Professor MS Ananth stated that the NCM being a Statutory Body constituted to protect and safeguard the interest of all the Minorities, accordingly advises that the agencies responsible for conducting Examinations may be directed to consider taking following steps to avoid any discrimination against students belonging to Sikh community:

(i) Reporting time of the examination should be the same for all the candidates irrespective of their religion.

(ii) Not to discriminate between the Sikh candidates and others on the basis of their articles of faith.

(iii) Screening may be done through a door frame metal detector for reducing time and ensuring proper security procedure.

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