Karnataka to begin seat allotment for engineering, other courses; delinks it with NEET
The counselling for engineering seats will start once the results for the Common Entrance Test are declared next week. The decision to go forward with the seat allotment process was announced by Karnataka Minister MC Sudhakar during a protest by Youth Congress over NEET paper leak.
The Karnataka government has decided to go ahead with the seat allotment process for engineering and other courses, separating it from the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for medicine. The decision comes following the alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG medical entrance exam that has caused a massive row across the country.
The counselling for engineering seats will start once the results for the Common Entrance Test (CET) are declared. They are likely to be out next week.
The decision to go forward with the seat allotment process was announced by Karnataka Higher Education Minister MC Sudhakar during a protest by Youth Congress over the NEET paper leak on Thursday.
"This time, we've decided not to wait for NEET [results]. Keeping the interests of students in mind, we'll go ahead with counselling for engineering and other courses," Sudhakar announced.
The row over NEET paper leak
The NEET-UG exam was conducted on May 3 across 565 cities and in 13 languages, but got cancelled two days following allegations of paper leak. The Centre has announced a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which has arrested the kingpin PV Kulkarni and mastermind Manisha Gurunath Mandhare.
The government has now announced that the NEET will be conducted next year in online mode, but the opposition has demanded Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation, citing the exam was also leaked in 2024 but no step was taken.
Earlier in the day, Youth Congress leaders staged a protest in Bengaluru. Several top leaders including Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and AICC general secretary in-charge of the state Randeep Singh Surjewala participated in the protest.
"It has repeatedly been proven that apart from spreading hatred to win votes, they have no expertise in anything else," Siddaramaiah said, adding that the NEET exam was leaked in 2016, 2021, 2024 and again in 2026. "Between 2004 and 2014, during the UPA government led by Manmohan Singh, national-level medical admissions were conducted through the All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT). Not once was there a paper leak."
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