New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India on Monday took up a vital case that may significantly impact the future of engineering admissions in Kerala, as it considered petitions related to the Kerala High Court’s controversial decision to cancel the KEAM 2024 rank list.
The rank list, published by the Commissioner of Entrance Examinations (CEE), was based on a normalized assessment method aligning marks from different educational boards. The Kerala High Court earlier quashed this list, citing it as discriminatory to students from the state syllabus. However, this ruling sparked widespread backlash, especially from students and parents affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), who claimed the move ignored national standards and introduced a bias.
A Supreme Court bench led by Justice P.S. Narasimha began hearing the case today and is expected to give a decisive verdict. Twelve students from the state board, who had moved the Kerala High Court earlier, are now opposing any stay, while multiple CBSE students have intervened, requesting the apex court to urgently restore the original rank list or at least stall the implementation of the High Court verdict.
Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan appeared for the state syllabus petitioners, emphasizing that the normalization process diluted the merit of state board students who underwent a more rigorous internal assessment process. On the other hand, CBSE students argue that without a pan-board normalization, the admissions process becomes heavily skewed and unfair to them.
The KEAM 2024 admission process, which was scheduled to begin on July 16, hangs in the balance as thousands of engineering aspirants await clarity. If the Supreme Court does not stay the High Court’s order today, it could potentially derail the entire centralized allotment process, leading to administrative chaos, missed academic deadlines, and legal uncertainty.
Legal experts point out that the matter is not just procedural but deeply systemic touching on the core issue of how India’s multi-board education system should be evaluated in competitive exams. The normalization procedure, based on the recommendations of an expert committee, was introduced to correct precisely this imbalance. Petitioners also argue that the High Court judgment did not fully consider the scientific and statistical basis of the new normalization method.
This case is being closely watched by educationists, lawmakers, and entrance exam regulators across the country. A final decision by the Supreme Court could set a precedent for how future rank lists are prepared in multi-board environments especially in states like Kerala, where both CBSE and state board students form a large part of the applicant pool.
The Court is also expected to consider whether adequate notice and transparency were ensured when the new methodology was introduced in the KEAM 2024 prospectus.
As of now, the Supreme Court has not delivered a final verdict, but its stance in today’s hearing will be crucial in shaping both immediate admission procedures and long-term education policy in India. If the Court decides in favor of the original rank list, the admission process could resume as early as tomorrow. However, if it upholds the High Court’s annulment, Kerala’s engineering admissions may face indefinite delays.
The nation now awaits a decision that could redefine academic fairness, legal accountability, and board parity in one of India’s most competitive entrance examinations.