There have been allegations that some private universities and engineering colleges are attempting to increase engineering seats in violation of the Government Order (GO) and beyond the recommendations of Karnataka Engineering Education Reform Authority (KEERA) report. They allegedly tried to do so during the transition from the Siddaramaiah-led Cabinet to the one headed by D.K. Shivakumar. Mr. Shivakumar currently holds the Higher Education portfolio.

What KEERA said

The State government had constituted KEERA, headed by Sadagopan, former director of IIIT-B, to streamline engineering education in Karnataka. The move came in the backdrop of dwindling job opportunities in the engineering sector and the continued expansion of seats largely in Computer Science (CS) and allied courses, leading to an imbalance in engineering education. It was also aimed at curbing the mushrooming of engineering colleges in tier-1 and tier-2 cities.

The authority submitted its report in April 2026. Based on its recommendations, the State government ordered a gradual 17% reduction in seats for CS and allied courses and capped the combined intake for five CS-related combinations at 900 seats.

“The institutions which already have over 300 seats in CS and related combinations must obtain National Board of Accreditation (NBA) certification within two years of the GO being issued. For new institutions, it has recommended an initial intake of 60 students for any course offered by a private university or engineering college,” the order said.

Further, it permits an increase of 60 seats a year, subject to a maximum total intake of 180 seats during the first four years.

However, by then, some private universities and engineering colleges had obtained approval from the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to increase seats in CS and related engineering courses beyond the prescribed cap, and had submitted proposals to the government seeking approval and issuance of a No Objection Certificate (NOC).

The then Higher Education Minister, M.C. Sudhakar, had rejected these proposals. However, after the Siddaramaiah-led Cabinet was dissolved, some private universities and engineering colleges allegedly attempted to secure approval for additional engineering seats through certain officials in the Higher Education Department.

According to sources, a few private universities whose requests for seat enhancement in CS and related streams had been rejected allegedly managed to have additional seats included in the intake matrix after the Cabinet was dissolved.

Sources further said that a delegation representing private universities and engineering colleges, which already have more than 3,000 seats in CS and related streams, met the Chief Minister and urged him to permit further seat enhancement.

CM contacts Sudhakar

However, when the file relating to the seat matrix and issuance of NOCs came to the Chief Minister, he contacted Dr. M.C. Sudhakar and realised that some private universities were trying to “manipulate” the government’s decision.

Clarifying the issue, Dr. Sudhakar said, “I have provided all the details to the Chief Minister, including the intention behind the constitution of the Prof. Sadagopan committee on reforms in technical education. I also explained to him the major recommendations of the committee and the GO issued in this regard.”

Delay in seat matrix

While the Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA) has already begun mock seat allotment for Common Entrance Test (CET)-2026 counselling, Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who currently holds the Higher Education portfolio, is yet to give his consent to the final seat matrix. The delay in announcing the final seat matrix is also likely to delay the seat allotment process for engineering courses this year.

When asked about this, Mr. Shivakumar said he had cleared some files related to the seat matrix and had directed the Principal Secretary of the Higher Education Department on Monday to verify and send the pending files to him.