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BENGALURU: The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has put on hold the announcement of results for the third round of counselling for medical and dental seats, after a group of parents approached the Karnataka High Court challenging the inclusion of new seats mid-counselling. KEA pauses result release pending high court order The third-round results were initially scheduled for release on Monday, but KEA officials confirmed that they will now wait for the court’s order before making them public. The provisional results had been announced on October 24. KEA’s executive director, H Prasanna, said the authority will comply with the court’s directions before proceeding further. “Around 450 seats came from the NMC after the second round of counselling. We have time till November 3 for clarity before the next round starts. We will wait for the high court’s directive,” he said. Petitioners object to mid-counselling seat additions The controversy arose after a group of parents and students objected to the addition of nearly 450 new seats following the National Medical Commission (NMC)’s approval after the second round. Petitioners argued that candidates who had already taken admission in rounds 1 and 2 were allowed to opt for the newly sanctioned seats, resulting in a reshuffling of previously allotted seats. When previously admitted students vacate their seats to take new ones, those seats become available to lower-ranked candidates who were not allotted earlier — a process petitioners have called “unfair and arbitrary.” KEA cites previous legal precedents KEA’s executive director noted that similar issues were raised in earlier years, and courts had not permitted mid-counselling seat additions then either. “Such last-minute seat additions have caused confusion and resentment among both students and parents. The authority has to ensure fairness and transparency across all rounds,” an education department source said. Final round of counselling and deadlines As per the revised schedule, one more round of counselling remains. The all-India stray vacancy round will begin on November 4, followed by Karnataka’s state-level counselling from November 7. The last date for candidates to report to allotted colleges is November 20, according to the KEA. Despite the ongoing legal uncertainty, classes for medical courses began on September 22, even as counselling rounds were still under way — a move that some experts say has complicated the process for late entrants. Key figures from KEA data Candidates & Seats (as per KEA): Increased seats in nine colleges: 443 Leftover seats from second round: 561 Unfilled seats after third round: 37 Number of candidates for 443 new seats: 6,379 Candidates who participated in rounds 1 & 2: 1,388 Fresh candidates in third round: 4,991 Candidates allotted seats in previous rounds: 248 (Source: KEA) With the high court now set to rule on the petition, the KEA’s decision on whether to publish the third-round results will depend on judicial directions expected before November 3. The outcome could have implications not only for this year’s counselling but also for future seat-allocation policies in medical admissions across Karnataka.
