- (1.) The son of the petitioner in this writ petition filed under Article 32 of the Constitution of India has applied for admission to the Engineering course in the Engineering Colleges in the State of Karnataka. Such admission is governed by the Karnataka Selection of Candidates for Admission to Engineering, Medical and Dental Courses Rules, 1997, hereinafter referred to as "the Rules". Under the Rules 15% seats falling in the payment category are reserved for non-Karnataka students. The son of the petitioner hasapplied for admission as a non-Karnataka student. The Rules provide for holding an entrance test for determination of merit and thereafter counselling is held in two rounds, viz. , the Preliminary Round and the Admission Round. The grievance of the petitioner is that counselling for the purpose of admission for non-Karnataka students is fixed in November 1997 after both the rounds of counselling for Karnataka students is completed which means that it will be held nearly four months after the results are declared. In this regard the petitioner has a twofold grievance: (I) As a result of the delay in counselling for non-Karnataka students the seats in the preferred courses in better colleges would be made available to Karnataka students and only the remaining seats would be available for non-Karnataka students; and (Ii) On account of the delayed counselling many non-Karnataka students may not wait for their chance to get admission in a college in Karnataka and may opt for admission in some other States that becomes available in the meantime and as a result the seats in the quota for non- Karnataka students would be made available for being filled by the management of the college.
(2.) Notice was issued on the writ petition to the respondent and in response to the said notice a reply has been filed. Shri Nagaraja, the learned counsel for the respondent, has also placed before us the seat matrix issued by the State government indicating the allotment of seats in various courses in the Engineering Colleges prepared in accordance with Rule 13 of the Rules.
(3.) The said seat matrix shows that 15% seats for non-Karnataka students in each course in each college have been set apart and non-Karnataka students would not suffer in any way on account of delayed counselling. The first grievance raised by the petitioner is, therefore, unfounded.;