The group of Kerala syllabus students who moved the Supreme Court against the cancellation of the revised KEAM 2025 rank list has decided not to pursue the matter further. With the admission process already underway, the petitioners say they are stepping aside to avoid further disruption, while expressing hope that their efforts will lead to a fairer system for future aspirants.

Ajas Mohammed, a Kozhikode-based entrance exam tutor who coordinated the legal challenge, confirmed to Onmanorama that the students are withdrawing from the case. “We're not moving forward. The Supreme Court has instructed the state to file the appeal, and we’ll leave it to them (the government),” Ajas said from New Delhi.

Athul Krishna M, 18, one of the 12 students from the state board stream who filed the petition, explained the reasoning behind not going for review petition. “A fresh hearing and related procedures will take about a month. By then, the first and second rounds of allotment will be over, making any legal action pointless. Moreover, if we pursue a counter petition, the state government might accuse us of disrupting the admission process,” he said.

Athul claimed that their movement for students from the state syllabus has had a meaningful impact. “For the past 11 years, there was no visible protest against the existing rules. This was the first strong challenge, and we hope it will inspire future exam-takers. Authorities are now more aware, and next year they’ll likely be more careful and prepared.”

The release of two separate rank lists made the disparities evident, Athul noted. “People now clearly see how students from certain boards were favoured. If the standardisation formula is improved, it will bring more justice to state board students.”

Athul had aimed for admission into the Electronics and Electrical Engineering program at CET Trivandrum. However, his rank dropped from 1,777 in the initial list to 2,975 in the revised one, affecting his chances. “I’ve registered for the allotments despite the setback. Now I applied not only for electronics and electrical engineering at CET but also for other branches,” he added.
"We hope next year’s students will benefit from fairer procedures," he added.

Meanwhile, petitioners representing CBSE students, who had filed a caveat in the Supreme Court, welcomed the top court’s decision not to stay the Kerala High Court’s verdict.

“As we’ve always said, we had to move the court since the government made last-minute changes to the prospectus and formula without proper discussion or consensus. The SC decision ensures that the admission process progresses without any hitches,” said a parent of one of the petitioners.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court bench comprising Justices P S Narasimha and A S Chandurkar clarified that it would not interfere in the KEAM 2025 admission process or reinstate the revised rank list cancelled by the High Court. The bench said any intervention at this stage would lead to uncertainty.

As a result, the High Court order quashing the government’s mark-normalisation formula remains in force. The apex court also issued notice on the special leave petition filed by students from the state syllabus stream, but adjourned the matter for four weeks without granting any stay.