In a significant ruling, the Kerala High Court division bench on Thursday upheld the decision of its single judge striking down a last-minute change introduced by the state government to the KEAM 2025 entrance examination prospectus.
The bench, comprising Justices Anil K Narendran and Muralee Krishna S, observed that it found “absolutely no reason to interfere with the decision of the single judge” and dismissed the state government’s appeal against the earlier order dated July 9.
The controversy arose after a group of CBSE students who appeared for the KEAM (Kerala Engineering, Architecture, and Medical Entrance Examination) challenged the government’s decision to alter the method for calculating final scores. According to the petitioners, the change was notified on July 1, barely an hour before the rank list was to be published, fundamentally impacting the merit ranking process.
The single judge, Justice D K Singh, had found the government’s action to be “illegal, arbitrary, and unjustified,” further remarking that the suspicious timing raised concerns. Consequently, the judge directed that the rank list be reissued using the original formula outlined in the February 19 prospectus.
On Thursday, the division bench confirmed this decision, stating, “We are confirming the order of the single judge,” and added that a detailed judgment would follow in the coming days.
