ADIMALI: It is a neck-and-neck race in the CBSE State Youth Festival on the penultimate day with Thrissur Sahodaya leading with 1,090 points followed by Malabar Sahodaya and Kottayam Sahodaya are close behind with 1,069 and 1,055 points, respectively on the third day when results in 101 events were declared. Kerala CBSE School Sahodaya Ernakulam bagged 966 points while Palakkad Sahodaya stood at fifth place with 940 points. The event is being held at Adimali Viswadeepthi CMI Public School In the school level, Silver Hills CMI Public School, Kozhikode is leading with 144 points. Devamatha CMI Public School, Thrissur is in the second place with 86 points and Bharathiya Vidhya Bhavan, Chevayoor is in the third place with 84 points.
Lakeford School, Kavanad, Kollam,was at fourth place with 74 points while Girideepam Badhani Central School, Kottayam reached fifth place scoring 58 points. The organisers said that the point tally of schools given Friday reflected the grade points which were removed on Saturday. The final point tally will not reflect grade points, they added High drama was witnessed late in the evening at the youth festival venue with a host of contestants and parents protesting against the judgment in the folk dance and Bharathanatyam categories. Some of them booed the judges and barged into the space where they were seated when the results were announced, following which police was called to the stages.
The tension was defused after police escorted the judges to their vehicle and removed from the venue. Later the orgainsers assured the agitators that the results will be reviewed and an appropriate decision will be taken. Allegations were also raised against Kuchipudi results. Kerala CBSE School Management Association general secretary and General Convenor of the festival Indira Rajan said that the results in the disputed categories will be reviewed by an expert panel from Kalamandalam by viewing the CDs of the event and fresh results will be declared. She also said that the judges in these events will be kept off till further orders, Ms Indira Rajan also said that the judging panel of the dance events on the final day have been changed to avoid any scope for allegations. A total of eight appeals were filed in first two days of the event while on the third day six more appeals were filed. The festival will come to a close on Sunday.
