The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has issued a directive to both Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) and the Karnataka State Higher Education Council (KSHEC), instructing them not to approve admissions or assign University Seat Numbers (USN) to 351 students. These students had secured government quota engineering seats during the third round of CET-2025 counselling but controversially failed to enrol in their allotted colleges, a clear violation of established rules and regulations.
The KEA highlighted the severity of the situation, stating, “Since the third round is the last round, if a student secures a seat but fails to join the college, that seat automatically converts to a management quota seat. This outcome is profoundly unfair to other deserving students who were diligently waiting for an opportunity.” — Karnataka Examinations Authority
In response, the KEA has formally served show-cause notices to all 351 students involved. The notices demand an explanation as to why legal action should not be initiated against them under the stringent provisions of the Karnataka Selection of Candidates for Admission to Government Seats in Professional Educational Institutions Rules 2006.
In its official correspondence to VTU and KSHEC, the KEA reiterated the established admission protocol for engineering courses across Karnataka. The authority conducts three comprehensive rounds of counselling via CET to allocate seats to eligible students. While candidates in the first and second rounds had the flexibility to withdraw if their allotted college wasn’t to their liking, those participating in the crucial third round were explicitly made aware of their obligation to accept and join any seat offered. They were advised to select only those colleges where they were genuinely prepared to secure admission.
The KEA emphasized the critical nature of the third round, explaining that any government quota seat left unclaimed by an allotted student in this final stage automatically reverts to the management quota. This practice, the KEA stressed, creates an unjust situation for other meritorious candidates patiently awaiting their chance.
Despite these clear guidelines and ample information provided to all applicants, a total of 351 students who were allotted government quota engineering seats, complete with government-subsidized fees in the third round, failed to report to their respective colleges by the final admission deadline. Consequently, all these abandoned seats have now been converted into management quota seats, impacting the transparency and fairness of the admission process.
The KEA suspects that some of these students might have simultaneously secured admissions through COMED-K or under direct management quotas in other institutions. Given this, the KEA has formally requested that private universities be directed not to approve the admissions of these 351 students who violated the rules by not joining their allotted government seats.
In the stern show-cause notices sent to the 351 students, the KEA explicitly stated: “You have failed to provide an explanation to the KEA for not accepting your allotted college seat, which was secured based on your option entry, merit, and reservation. You were fully aware that any government quota seats not filled in the third round would revert to the college management for their own filling. By participating in this final round of counselling and then deliberately not joining your allotted institution, you have purposefully prevented a deserving, next-in-line candidate from securing a government seat. This action has effectively forced these seats into the management quota, constituting a clear case of government seat blocking.”