With the litigant CET 2022 repeaters consenting for ‘normalisation’ of their second PU marks of 2021 based on a scientific methodology suggested by a committee of experts, the High Court of Karnataka on September 23 permitted the State Government and the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) to go ahead with the process of assigning CET 2022 ranks afresh after ‘normalisation’ of the marks of repeaters, who had passed second PU in 2021.
A division bench comprising acting Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice S. Vishwajith Shetty passed the order while disposing of the appeals filed by the government and the KEA questioning a single-judge bench’s order of September 3, which had set aside the ranks swarded to CET repeaters without considering their second PU marks of 2021.
After going to the committee’s report, the division bench orally told Additional Advocate General Dhyan Chinnappa, who represented the government, and advocate N.K. Ramesh, who represented the KEA, that both the authorities have done ‘a remarkable job’ in finding a solution for an unusual issue. The committee was set up on September 20 after the bench, on September 19, asked both the authorities to explore the possibility of an amicable solution.
Solution suggested by expert committee
The committee had suggested application of root mean square (RMS) method for ‘normalising’ the higher marks marks awarded for students who passed second PU in 2021 without writing the exam in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the marks of the students who passed second PU in 2022 after appearing for written exams.
The application of RMS method would result in deduction of an average six marks in physics, five marks in chemistry, and seven marks in mathematics for every student who passed second PU in 2021.
The KEA, after the process of ‘normalisation’ of marks of CET repeaters, would assign fresh ranks for all the candidates of CET 2022 — who wrote second PU in 2021 and in 2022 — by considering second PU and CET marks in 50:50 ratio.
Limited applicability of solution
The division bench made it clear that the ‘normalisation’ of marks of students who passed second PU in 2021 would be only for the limited purpose of assigning ranks for the CET, and not for any other purpose.
A few students, who passed second PU in 2021, had filed petitions questioning non-consideration of 50% of their second PU marks for allotting ranks, and a single-judge bench had directed the KEA to re-do the ranking by considering marks in 50:50 ratio even for them, as was done for students who passed second PU in 2022.
The government and the KEA had moved the division bench contending that marks of the students who passed II PU in 2021 cannot be considered as they were awarded on the higher side through a special methodology without holding exams.
