A last-minute modification to the Kerala Engineering Architecture Medical (KEAM) 2025 exam prospectus on the weighting of marks in several disciplines was invalidated by the Kerala high court on Wednesday, citing it as "illegal, arbitrary, and unjustified."
On a number of writ petitions submitted by students who had taken the KEAM 2025 exam and completed the CBSE 10 + 2 exams, the single bench of Justice DK Singh issued a decision.
The petitioners claimed that the July 1 adjustment, which was made just one hour before the rank list was released, changed how candidates' final scores were determined and was made to give preference to those who followed the state curriculum.
According to the revised prospectus, the KEAM and 10 + 2 board exam scores would remain in a 50:50 ratio, but the scores earned in chemistry, physics, and mathematics would now be in a 5:3:2 ratio rather than the previous 1:1:1.
On July 1, precisely one hour after the prospectus was modified, the KEAM exam results were released. This year, nearly 86,000 students took the exam in order to be admitted to the state's engineering, architecture, and medical programs. This year, the tests were administered from April 23 to April 29.
PG Pramod, senior government pleader, argued that clause 1.6 of the prospectus gives the government powers to make changes to the prospectus at any point of time. The HC noted that while the government may possess the power, how it chooses to exercise the power is another matter.
“On 14.05.2025, the score cards of the students relating to the entrance examinations were declared on the website, and the students were directed to submit their marks obtained in class 10 + 2 examinations. When the authorities have full data before them and found that the students from the Kerala stream have not done very well in the examination, they decided to change the formulae in the most arbitrary, illegal and unjustified manner,” the bench said.
“The change in the prospectus is set aside. The Commissioner for the Entrance Examinations is directed to publish the rank list in accordance with the prospectus which was issued on 19.02.2025,” the judge said. Reacting to the HC ruling, Kerala higher education minister R Bindu indicated that the state government may appeal against the single-judge order.
