No change of reservation categories for CET aspirants

From this academic year onwards, reservation categories mentioned by students in their application forms for the Common Entrance Test (CET) will be considered final. 

In an attempt to curb misuse of reservation, the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has decided to make it mandatory for students to submit affidavits along with their application forms, as a testimony to the reservation category claimed by them. This means the students cannot later request for a correction or change in categories once the application process is complete. 

The KEA nullified a notification that was issued by its executive director on May 24, 2013, which gave the students an option to request for a change in the category at the time of document verification. “CET applicants who wish to change their category from GM to SC/ST/1G/2A/2B/3A/3B categories may exercise their options during the time of document verification,” the notification mentioned.

Before 2013, the students had no option of changing their reservation categories after submitting the application. The practice was introduced during CET-2013. The KEA suspected that it led to irregularities in allotment of setas in CET-2013 as reservation categories of students were changed illegally.

According to KEA director Rame Gowda, an officer will be appointed exclusively for verifying caste and other reservation certificates.