Karnataka seat blocking: Notices to 351 students who got government quota engineering seats but did not report to colleges

The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has asked Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) and the Karnataka State Higher Education Council (KSHEC) not to grant admission approval or provide University Seat Number (USN) to 351 students who got government quota seats in the third round of CET-2025 counselling but did not enrol in colleges, thus violating rules and regulations.

The KEA has issued show cause notices to all these students and asked why legal action should not be taken as per the Karnataka Selection of Candidates for Admission to Government Seats in Professional Educational Institutions Rules 2006.

In its communication to the VTU and KSHEC, the KEA said that for admission to various courses in engineering colleges in Karnataka, seats are allotted to eligible students after conducting three rounds of counselling through CET. Those who got seats in the first and second rounds were given the opportunity to opt out of the counselling process if they did not like the college. If they participated in the third round and got a seat in the college of their choice, they were clearly informed that they must take admission in the college. If they got a seat, they were told to opt for only those colleges that were ready to admit them.

“Since the third round is the last round, if a student gets a seat in this round but does not join the college, the seat will be converted to a management quota seat. However, this will be unfair to those students who were next in line and were waiting for the opportunity,” KEA stated.

Despite providing all relevant information to students, 351 students, who got engineering seats under the government quota with government fees in the third round, did not join the college by the last date of admission, which is the reason the respective seats have been converted to management quota seats.

“It is known that some of them got seats under the COMED-K and management quota. Therefore, the admission of a total of 351 students, who got seats in the third round and did not join the college and violated the rules, should not be approved. Directions should be given to private universities in this regard,” KEA requested.

“You have not given an explanation to KEA for not joining the allotted college despite being allotted a seat as per your option entry, merit and reservation. You are aware that the government quota seats not filled up in the third round will go back to the respective colleges to be filled up by the college management. By participating in the third round of counselling and not joining the allotted college, you have intentionally deprived the allotment of a government seat to the next meritorious candidate who was ready to join the college, and caused the seat to be filled by the college management, which amounts to blocking a government seat,” KEA stated in the showcause notices to the 351 students.