Kerala Government Appeals Against High Court Order on KEAM Results
The Kerala government has taken a significant step by filing an appeal against the High Court’s single bench order that quashed the KEAM (Kerala Engineering, Architecture, and Medical) rank list. The appeal will be heard by the Division Bench of the court on Thursday. This development comes after the High Court ruled that the state government’s revised method for calculating ranks in the KEAM exam was flawed.
The High Court’s decision to quash the KEAM results came after the government announced the rankings based on a new formula that involved consolidating marks. The court found this approach to be problematic, as it led to discrepancies in the evaluation process. As a result, the court ordered the revision of the KEAM rank list.
The state government had introduced the new formula to address long-standing complaints from students following the Kerala syllabus. These students argued that their marks were being unfairly reduced due to the consolidation process. In response, the government claimed that the new system aimed to ensure fairness and transparency in the ranking mechanism.
However, the issue took a legal turn when Hana Fathima, a student who passed her Plus Two exams under the CBSE syllabus, filed a petition challenging the new formula. She argued that the changes in the marking system disadvantaged students from the CBSE curriculum. Her petition gained traction, leading to the High Court’s intervention.
The High Court’s ruling was influenced by several key arguments. One of the main points raised was that the prospectus for the KEAM exam was altered at the final stage of the admission process. This change, according to the court, created confusion and inequity among applicants. Additionally, the court noted that CBSE students had lost out on certain weightages due to the new formula for mark consolidation.
The government had previously stated that the rank list was prepared by considering both the entrance exam scores and the Plus Two results. However, there were widespread complaints that under the previous formula, students following the Kerala syllabus scored 15 to 20 marks less than their CBSE counterparts. This disparity was seen as a major concern for many students and their families.
Justice D K Singh, who delivered the ruling, emphasized that the revised method of calculating engineering entrance ranks had a negative impact on students from the CBSE syllabus. His observations highlighted the need for a more equitable approach to evaluating candidates for higher education admissions.
This case underscores the complexities involved in standardizing academic evaluations across different curricula. It also raises important questions about the fairness of the processes used to determine eligibility for professional courses such as engineering and medicine.
As the appeal moves forward, all eyes are on the Division Bench of the High Court to see whether the previous order will be upheld or modified. The outcome of this case could have far-reaching implications for future admissions and the way educational institutions handle such controversies.
