The Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur has already announced the dates for the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) 2022. As per the official website, the examination is all set to be held on February 05, 06, 12 and 13, 2022. However, amidst all these, the students have demanded the postponement of the examination given the present COVID-19 situation in the country. To support the cause, a notable YouTuber named Pure Mathematical Guruji has filed a PIL in the Supreme Court pleading postponement of the exam.
As per the latest update, the apex court has now agreed to take up the matter, though there are only 03 days left for the test. The plea was mentioned by Advocate Pallav Mongia, on behalf of the petitioners. A bench comprising the chief justice of India NV Ramana has agreed to list the matter urgently. In exact words, the bench said, “We will list it”.
A total of nine lakh candidates will be appearing for GATE 2022 which is commencing on Saturday. Moreover, admit cards have also been issued for the exam. Now, the plea sought an interim stay on the case. It has been reported that around 200 centres have been set up in which the exam will be conducted. However, the authorities have not issued any COVID specific guidelines to hold the exam.
GATE 2022 Postponement – Why?
The primary reason why the candidates have demanded postponement is due to the prevalent COVID-19 situation in the country. IIT Kharagpur has already mentioned that the admit cards can be used as curfew passes for travelling to and fro the exam centres. In this regard, the YouTuber has stated that the candidates have worked hard enough to prepare for the exam. Yet, the country is overcoming the aftermath of the third wave of COVID-19. This makes it too risky to conduct a national-level test.
In January 2022, as many as 23,000 aspirants of GATE 2022 have signed an online petition demanding postponement. They have also cited a report published by the professors of IIT Kharagpur. According to the report, the third wave of the pandemic is expected to subside by the first week of February 2022. However, the GATE 2022 exam dates fall in the same timeline which puts the examinees at health risk. Despite that, the organizing institute stood in its stance of not postponing the exam dates. As a result, the matter reached the Supreme Court and a final call is still awaited.
