The students in Tamil Nadu who were set to take their arrear exams will not be exempted as promised by the state government, said the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). In a statement on August 27, TN Chief Minister Eddapadi K Palaniswami had said that the students with arrears who had registered and paid the exam fees will not have to write the exam and will be promoted owing to the COVID-19 crisis.

According a Times of India report, the AICTE also wrote to Anna University warning them of consequences if they went ahead and cancelled the arrears. They said that the regulatory body will have no choice but to withdraw the university's approval if they cancel the exams as proposed by the government.

At this point, there are more than four lakh engineering students with arrears in Tamil Nadu.

As per earlier news reports in August, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswamy had issued a statement saying, "Based on demand from students and recommendation by the expert panel, all students except final year students who paid fees for writing arrears are exempted from writing the exams. The marks for these exams will be awarded based on the guidelines given by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)."

Earlier, the former Anna University Vice-Chancellor E Balagurusamy had also disagreed with the Tamil Nadu government’s stance about the cancellation of the exams. "It is really very strange and unfortunate that the Tamil Nadu government has announced the cancellation of the arrear exams of all students (except final year) based on 'students' demands and expert panel recommendations'," he said in a statement. "Universities do not conduct exams and give results based on 'whims and fancies' of students and politicians. Universities are highly autonomous bodies and their syndicates, senates and academic councils have all powers and authority and they can only decide about the conduct of exams and passing of results. Governments have no right in interfering in the academic matters of universities and unilaterally cancel the exams," added Balagurusamy.