As the Karnataka High Court is set to hear the case regarding considering PU marks of the repeaters of Karnataka Common Entrance Test (KCET) 2022 while deciding on final scores, tomorrow, August 18, students continue to wait with bated breath and are hopeful for a decision in their favour.
Dhanush Kumar, whose sister is a KCET dropper from last year, said that the court case is leaning towards their side at the moment. “Everything points towards the mistake of the authorities, such as the fact that there was no notification that informed students that their PU results won’t be considered,” he told EdexLive. A stay order needs to be issued when it comes to the counselling process, he said.
After hearing petitions in the Karnataka HC filed by repeaters of KCET 2022 for not considering their PU marks while declaring final scores, it was decided that the document verification process would be postponed to August 18. Keerthi Ganesh, President of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) for Karnataka, informed the same and said that the HC will hear the case again on August 18 after the documents are verified. When EdexLive had reached out to Executive Director of KEA Ramya S, she confirmed that while the document verification process has begun online, the counselling process will begin only after Karnataka High Court's order.
Other KCET repeaters also believe that the decision will be taken to benefit them. “It is a clear mistake from their side and I think they will come up with a new mode of evaluation for students,” said Suhas Papanashi, who appeared for the KCET last year as well. This year, he received a rank that went above one lakh.
How will it affect them?
If the decision doesn’t go in their favour, it will affect 24,000 students, said Kumar. “We won’t get seats in the college we want, we will end up opting for management quota,” he added.
As a result, students will have to compromise and pay double the fees to give other exams and get seats through the management quota, said Papanashi. “Students will be made to pay despite studying well,” he added.
A few others also mentioned that the decision would have huge implications on their careers. “If PU marks won’t be considered, then our whole career will be spoiled. All the hard work we did will be done and dusted,” said Tharun A, who is also a KCET dropper from last year.
Student associations like the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) and the All India Democratic Students’ Association (AIDSO) have come out in solidarity with these students. Ajay Kamath, State Secretary of AIDSO said that the exam conducted by the PU Board cannot be nullified. “If the judgment is not positive then the state should stand by the students. Students do not have the time right now to go for higher appeals or to mobilise protests,” he added. Students will lose out on their future if the decision gets further delayed, he said.
Additionally, Kirthi Ganesh, State President of the NSUI said that the decision should benefit the students. “Many students are from the financially weaker section and they should be given a fair chance at the exam. We are hoping for the best,” he added.
