Rising demand spurs new girls-only colleges in Dakshina Kannada: Report
Mangaluru: Amid rising demand from minority communities in Dakshina Kannada district, the Karnataka government has approved two new girls-only colleges in Mangaluru’s Ullal constituency.
The Department of Minorities has sanctioned Rs 17 crore for a new education complex between Konaje and Pajir. The facility will cater to girls from Class 1 through degree level, serving both residential and day scholars, as reported by The New Indian Express on Wednesday.
Additionally, the Waqf Department will develop a pre-university (PU) girls' college in Ullal town. Both institutions will follow a 75:25 reservation ratio for minority and non-minority students, respectively.
In Derlakatte, a government PU college that was previously co-educational was converted into a girls-only institution last academic year. The shift followed complaints of disruptive behaviour from some boys and low male enrolment; only 41 of the 91 students enrolled in 2022–23 were boys. The College Development Committee, led by MLA UT Khader, proposed the change, which was supported by parents, added the report.
Officials and educators quoted by the news outlet link the rising demand for girls-only colleges to sociocultural factors, particularly in the wake of the 2022 Hijab controversy. A significant number of parents, especially from the Muslim community, have expressed reservations about co-educational institutions, citing concerns over safety, early marriage pressures, and cultural sensitivities.
Government-run women’s colleges reportedly have a 25–30% Muslim enrolment rate, substantially higher than in co-educational government colleges.
This broader demand has shaped government policy. The Karnataka state budget has announced the establishment of 15 women’s colleges on vacant Waqf lands in 2024-25, with 16 more scheduled for the following year.
Defending the decision to expand girls-only institutions, Khader highlighted community needs and the importance of empowering women through education. “I can’t force families to send their daughters to co-ed colleges. These new institutions are being set up to address real demand on the ground,” TNIE quoted him as saying.
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HC questions Delhi govt over failure to regulate sale of old vehicles, refers to Red Fort blast
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi High Court questioned the city government on Wednesday over its failure to regulate the sale and transfer of used vehicles, while pointing out that in a recent bomb blast near the Red Fort, a second-hand car was used, making the issue more significant.
A bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela asked the Delhi government to file a detailed response on the issue of regulating authorised dealers of registered vehicles.
"A car changes four hands but the original owner has not changed. Therefore, what happens? That man (the original owner) goes to the slaughterhouse? What is this? How are you permitting this? You will take a call when two-three more bomb blasts take place?" the bench asked the Delhi government's counsel.
The bomb blast near the iconic Mughal-era monument was carried out using a second-hand car, making the issue even more significant, it said.
The court listed the matter for further hearing in January 2026.
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The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) plea filed by an organisation, Towards Happy Earth Foundation, highlighting the challenges in the implementation of rules 55A to 55H of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, introduced in December 2022 to regulate authorised dealers of registered vehicles.
While the rules were intended to bring accountability to the second-hand vehicle market, the petitioner's counsel argued that they have failed in practice due to regulatory gaps and procedural hurdles.
The plea said there is a major gap in the amended framework, that is, the absence of any statutory mechanism for reporting dealer-to-dealer transfers.
"In reality, most used vehicles pass through multiple dealers before reaching the final buyer, but the rules recognise only the first transfer to the initial authorised dealer.
"As a result, the chain of custody breaks after the first step, defeating the very purpose of accountability," the petition said.
It added that because of these gaps, only a very small percentage of dealers across India have been able to obtain authorised dealer registration and in Delhi, not a single dealer has got it.
Consequently, lakhs of vehicles continue to circulate without any record of who is actually in possession of those, it said.
The plea said only a small fraction of India's estimated 30,000 to 40,000 used-vehicle dealers are registered under the authorised-dealer framework.
The petition also pointed out that the 11-year-old vehicle used in the November 10 bomb blast near the Red Fort was sold several times but was still registered in its original owner's name.
The blast near the Red Fort had claimed 15 lives.
