Eamcet-2 may be cancelled, says Telangana minister
Probe officials further found that the question paper was leaked with the help of an insider from a printing press in Delhi.
Hyderabad: Minister C. Laxma Reddy on Wednesday said that a final decision will be taken on the fate of Eamcet-2 based on the CID investigation report into the alleged leak, which is expected to be given to the government on Thursday.
“If we go by norms, cancellation is inevitable in case of a question paper leakage. There is no other option, even officials are saying it,” the minister said, adding that he was yet to brief Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao.
Sources said a decision had been taken to cancel Eamcet-2, but an official announcement is likely to be made only after the CID report is submitted. The government wants to ensure that no meritorious candidate loses out.
The minister discussed the issue with principal secretary Rajeshwar Tiwari and department officials. Replying to a question on the involvement of various persons, Dr Laxma Reddy said clarity would emerge after the probe was completed. This comes amid a demand in both Telugu states to hold the Eamcet for medical and dental colleges again, for different reasons.
Surya Tej, brother of a candidate who got 3,000-plus rank in AP Eamcet, stated that the entrance exam was held on April 29 amidst confusion since Supreme Court was hearing the case on Neet.
“Students were in a dilemma on whether they have to write Eamcet or have to start afresh for Neet and their preparations were affected. My sister was scoring 155 out of 160 in the grand tests but she did not fare well in Eamcet,” he said.
“Those below 1,000 rank be opposing a retest but thousands of other students want the exam to be held again.
“Both tests can be held in few days gap and counselling be taken up in August. Some parents are seeking legal advice on this,” a coaching faculty expert said.
Mr K. Damodar Rao, parent of a student who took Eamcet-2, said, “The ongoing developments reflect irregularities took place in the exam. In this scenario holding a fresh exam is the best way to do justice to students.”
Top rankers did poorly in eamcet-1
Satish, the whistleblower of the Eamcet-2 leakage scandal, stated that he got suspicious after a few students got better ranks than their abilities indicated.
“Three students who fared poorly in AP Eamcet and TS Eamcet-1 but were ranked under 1,000 in Eamcet-2,” he said.
Eleven students from Warangal district, including his daughter, went to Vijayawada for short-term coaching for Eamcet-2. A few students, who did not get satisfactory marks in the preparatory tests held for two years, got good ranks in Eamcet-2. “How can you explain when one student who got 25,000 rank in AP Eamcet and 20,000 in TS Eamcet-1 gets a top rank in Eamcet-2,” he asked.
He said these students knew each other well, and hence the surprise. These students left the coaching institute way before Eamcet-2 without writing the final grand tests, he said. His daughter got 13,000-plus rank in AP Eamcet, about 7,000 in TS Eamcet-1 and 9,000 in TS Eamcet-2.