In response to complaints that candidates in reservation categories were unfairly denied their merit seats, authorities have released a revised third allotment list for engineering admissions in the state.
The preliminary third allotment list, published Thursday afternoon, was swiftly withdrawn the following morning. This action followed an inquiry, prompted by a directive from the Higher Education Minister's office, which uncovered irregularities in the list. A revised final list was subsequently issued by Friday evening.
According to the updated allotment, candidates now have until 3 p.m. on Tuesday to secure admission to their new colleges, informed the office of the Entrance Commissioner.
The confusion surrounding the allotment process, which emerged just before the start of first-year engineering classes on Monday, caused significant concern among applicants and their parents. The issue arose because candidates eligible for admission under general merit were mistakenly included in the reservation list, allowing candidates with lower ranks to be admitted under general merit. This led to allegations of an attempt to undermine the reservation system.
Change in allotment system causes issues
Unlike previous years, where all three allotments were based on initial options submitted, this year’s process involved inviting fresh options after two rounds of allotments. The third allotment, at the same time, was designated for filling vacant seats. This led to complaints from candidates who felt they were unfairly restricted to their reservation seats received from the first two rounds and thus being denied the chance to move to the merit seat
There are also concerns that the Entrance Commissionerate altered the allotment system without a formal government order. The Entrance Commissionerate, however, defends the change, stating that the opportunity to submit new options after two rounds of allotment was provided to address complaints that many candidates were unable to make accurate choices in their initial submission.