Kochi: In a major blow to the Kerala government, the High Court’s Division Bench has rejected its appeal challenging the cancellation of the KEAM 2025 rank list, used for admissions to engineering and other professional courses. The verdict upholds the earlier single bench ruling and directs the government to prepare a fresh rank list based on the long-standing 2011 prospectus format.
The appeal, led by Justice Anil K. Narendran, was dismissed after the court found no justification for the eleventh-hour change in the evaluation formula—a move introduced just one hour before results were declared. The government had claimed that the new weightage (5:3:2 for Maths, Physics, and Chemistry) ensured fairness across educational boards. However, the court viewed it as an attempt to favour Kerala syllabus students, calling the change “legally untenable.”
The original petition, filed by students and parents, argued that the new formula unfairly disadvantaged CBSE and ICSE students, violating the principle of equal opportunity. The High Court strongly agreed, labelling the move “arbitrary and unjustified”.
With KEAM 2025 results first released on July 1, the court questioned the state’s last-minute decision to alter a formula in use for 14 years, dismissing the government’s claim that Kerala syllabus students were being left behind as insufficient grounds for change.
The ruling has reaffirmed that “rules of the game can’t be changed midway”, and instructed the Commissioner for Entrance Examinations (CEE) to publish a revised rank list without delay, restoring transparency and fairness in the admission process.
