CET repeater case: HC defers hearing to September 22

Highlights

• The High Court on Monday adjourned the hearing of the appeals, filed challenging the order passed by the single judge in connection with the Karnataka Common Entrance Test (K-CET) repeater students’ issue, to September 22.

• A division bench, headed by Acting Chief Justice Alok Aradhe, granted time to the Additional Advocate General (AAG) to appear for the state government enabling him to find a solution.

• The appeals have been filed by both the state government and the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA).

• AAG Dhyan Chinnappa requested for an adjournment to find a solution to the situation which has arisen on account of the order passed by a single bench on September 3, 2022, in a batch of petitions filed by the 2021 batch CET repeater students.

• The bench adjourned the hearing, observing orally that if the state government comes up with a solution that is acceptable to everyone, the issue can be sorted out.

• Earlier in his brief submission, AAG stated that around 23,000 repeaters had not written their (second) PUC examination during 2021, while the order of the single bench amounted to equating them with around 1,75,000 fresher students, who did write the PUC examination.

• On September 3, 2022, the single bench directed the authorities to redo the CET rankings for admission to undergraduate courses in Engineering and Technology for the academic year 2022-23 by considering both PU and CET marks in a 50:50 ratio.

• The single bench had directed the authorities to conduct the redo exercised strictly in accordance with the Rule 3 and 4 of the Karnataka Selection of Candidates for Admission to Government seats in Professional educational institutions Rules, 2006 and without reference to proviso inserted by a government order dated September 1, 2021.