CET exam dress code issue: re-exam to be conducted for affected students, says minister MC Sudhakar
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has decided to conduct a re-examination for students who faced issues related to dress code enforcement during the Common Entrance Test (CET) Exam, Higher Education Minister M. C. Sudhakar said.
Speaking to the media in Bengaluru, the minister stated that only four candidates were affected due to confusion at examination centres. “We have decided to conduct a re-exam only for those students who faced problems,” he said.
The issue arose due to confusion over wearing religious symbols such as the janivara (sacred thread) and hijab at exam centres in Bengaluru and Chikkaballapur. A section of students had requested a re-examination, citing unfair treatment during the test.
The minister clarified that awarding grace marks is not a suitable solution in such cases. “We will not consider grace marks. After discussion, we have decided that a re-exam is the best option,” he added, noting that similar issues had occurred in previous years as well.
The controversy escalated after allegations emerged that a student appearing for the CET exam in Chikkaballapur was denied permission to write the exam due to hijab-related concerns. The incident reportedly took place at BGS Science Academy College on the outskirts of Chikkaballapur city during the Physics exam held on April 23.
Following a complaint filed by the student’s father through email to the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA), the matter was investigated by district officials. Statements from both the student and the complainant were recorded, and a report was submitted to KEA.
Minister Sudhakar said the district administration has already submitted its report. He added that authorities had earlier assigned responsibility for enforcing dress code rules to individual colleges, but similar incidents have repeated this year as well.
He further stated that the Chikkaballapur Deputy Commissioner has even recommended cancelling the exam centre where the incident occurred. The government is expected to take appropriate action based on the report.
