Did the Kerala Minister Handle the KEAM Rank List Issue in Good Faith?

Thiruvananthapuram, July 11 (NationPress) Following the Kerala High Court's decision to annul the results of the KEAM (Kerala Engineering, Architecture and Medical) entrance examination, Higher Education Minister R. Bindhu stated that the state's actions were undertaken with good intentions.

“Our primary objective was to ensure equal opportunities for all students, based on a scientific approach. The standardization was executed with careful consideration, as we believed it was the most effective strategy,” Bindhu remarked.

“The prospectus clearly states that the government reserves the right to amend conditions at any time. The final rank list is derived from the marks attained in the KEAM exam along with those from the Class 12 examination. Students adhering to the state syllabus—deemed less challenging than ICSE and CBSE—have 35 marks deducted from their total qualifying score before the rank list is generated. We believed this was inequitable and chose to modify the conditions,” Bindhu further explained. She urged the media “not to behave like a court and refrain from pressing inquiries” before exiting the scene.

With Bindhu clarifying the situation and hinting that the government will likely not appeal to the Supreme Court against the Kerala High Court's division bench ruling, the allotment process for professional courses, excluding nursing, is set to begin shortly.

Notably, the decision to revise the prospectus was made during the cabinet meeting on June 30. While some cabinet members expressed concerns about potential backlash from this alteration, their warnings were ignored, leading to the decision. The High Court's ruling has since placed the Vijayan government under scrutiny from both the opposition and concerned parents.

The division bench dismissed the state's appeal against the single bench’s judgment issued on Wednesday, which had invalidated the KEAM rank list released on July 1.

The court determined that the last-minute alteration to eligibility criteria was unjustified and instructed the authorities to revert to the original prospectus and publish a revised rank list.

The dispute arose after the state government released a Government Order (GO) on July 1—the same day the rank list was announced—modifying the evaluation criteria.

According to the revised standards, the marks ratio for Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry changed from 1:1:1 to 5:3:2, adversely affecting students from CBSE and ICSE backgrounds, who claimed the change was biased and arbitrary.

The single bench, led by Justice D.K. Singh, ruled that the modification was not only unfair but also breached the principles of natural justice. The court criticized the government for altering the prospectus post-exam and result declaration.

Despite the government's prompt appeal to the division bench seeking a suspension of the verdict, the bench upheld the previous decision, asserting that the prospectus constitutes a binding agreement and that retrospective alterations are legally impermissible.

Parents of impacted students, particularly from CBSE and ICSE backgrounds, praised the ruling, accusing the government of acting irresponsibly.

KEAM 2024 took place from April 23 to 29, with results announced on May 14. The contentious rank list, based on the revised criteria, was released on July 1, prompting the legal challenge.

KEAM serves as the state’s entrance examination for admission into professional courses, excluding nursing.