Thiruvananthapuram: A group of students in Kerala is preparing to approach the Supreme Court to challenge the revised Kerala Engineering Architecture Medical (KEAM) rank list issued following a Kerala High Court directive. These students, who had initially secured top positions in the merit list, claim their ranks have plummeted after the application of an old normalisation formula, leading to what they allege is a denial of equal justice.
The move comes after the Kerala High Court quashed an earlier KEAM rank list, which was based on a new normalisation formula, and ordered the Commissioner for Entrance Examinations to republish the ranks as per the method outlined in the February prospectus. The revised list has drawn sharp criticism from students under the Kerala and ICSE syllabi, many of whom say they were unfairly penalised by the reintroduced formula.
Several students who achieved perfect scores in their Plus Two board exams have reportedly lost as many as 27 marks after normalisation. Some have also complained about a lack of clarity over changes in subject weightages.
A student collective, coordinating through WhatsApp and led by Ajas Muhammad, is expected to file a petition in the apex court by Monday or Tuesday. “We were waiting for a copy of the High Court order to proceed legally. The key issue is that students who were among the toppers have dropped thousands of ranks,” Ajas said.
Despite growing discontent, the Kerala government has announced it will not contest the High Court ruling in the Supreme Court, prompting affected students to take the matter into their own hands.
With admissions now tied up in legal proceedings, the state government is preparing to request the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to extend the current admission deadline beyond August 14. Last year, the AICTE had extended the deadline to September 18, and the state hopes for similar relief this year.
The first allotment, based on registered options, is scheduled for July 18. However, the current uncertainty has cast doubt over whether the process will proceed as planned.
With IANS inputs