Bangalore: A committee set up by the State Government to investigate the alleged illegal surrender of seats in private professional colleges (medical, engineering and dental courses) has indicated that it will lay down guidelines on how to prevent surrender of seats.

The committee, headed by a retired district judge, Balakrishna, reserved orders on the issue after hearing the arguments of private professional colleges.

The Karnataka High Court, which had heard a case pertaining to the alleged surrender of seats in private professional colleges by two students, had recommended to the Government to constitute the committee.

Following the recommendation, the Government framed a rule, which stated that students who surrendered their seats would not be entitled to appear for the Common Entrance Test the following year.

The committee had issued notices to 16 medical and dental colleges, in which students had "surrendered" their seats. The managements argued that a few students had given up their seats as they were unable to pay the fee, which was high.

The managements blamed the Government, which, they said, tended to intimate the availability of a seat to a few students at the last moment, leaving them no time to make an informed choice.

They denied that there was any illegal surrender of seats, and said the seats were allotted only after they were "forfeited". They said there was very little time left for the re-allotment of a seat before the commencement of a course. This, they claimed, was the only urgency of filling up such "forfeited" seats.

The committee is expected to give its findings shortly.

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu