Karnataka: CET repeaters rejoice, freshers in shock

BENGALURU: While for the 23,000 CET repeaters, the high court verdict on Saturday afternoon came as a huge relief, for the remaining 1.5 lakh fresh candidates, it was a shocker. The freshers, who had written the II PU exam, said the verdict is grossly unfair as their ranks will drop substantially with repeaters now having the advantage of high PU marks.
For Girish , parent of a CET repeater, the news brought much respite. "There is so much joy among the repeater-students. But at the same time, we understand what the freshers are going through now. We feel bad for them because everyone is suffering for no fault of theirs. Even when the results were announced, not one meeting was held to consult students and parents on what to do," he said.
Students celebrated the court order in their favour and thanked the petitioners over social media. CET ranks are calculated using 50% of CET marks and II PU marks. However, for the 2021 batch, II PU exams weren't held owing to the pandemic. Instead, their II PU results were calculated based on I PU, SSLC and internal assessment scores. However, when CET ranks were calculated, their II PU marks weren't considered. The repeaters received ranks that were lower than their first attempt despite having higher CET marks, forcing them to go to court.
The freshers, however, are not amused with the high court order. "This is unfair. This is comparing apples to oranges. They did not write last year's board exams. Their marks are purely based on internal exam scores. They dropped one year and were preparing only for CET. They are at an advantage at so many levels that they will occupy all the top ranks now," said a fresher.
"While this may bring justice to 23,000 students, it is sheer injustice to another 1.5 lakh, who had worked equally hard for it. The government should challenge the order in the Supreme Court," said a parent.
Another concern among the candidates is that redoing the rank list will further delay the counselling process. "If this goes to court again, counselling may further get affected. Many private universities and degree colleges are set to begin classes. This will further push students into a dilemma," said Ramesh V, a parent.
"This is definitely KEA's fault. While we expected a court order that would be midway, this one is shocking," said a student.
Won't comment before receiving order copy: KEA
Karnataka Examinations Authority said that it does not want to comment on the verdict before receiving a copy of the court order. "The ranks of 1.5 lakh students will get affected. The department is likely to discuss with the chief minister on what needs to be done. It will also discuss with the legal team and then take a call," an education department official said.