Demand for MBA, MCA, MTech courses declining in Karnataka: Report
Bengaluru: The demand for MBA, MCA and MTech courses in the state is showing a downward trend, with at least 50% of the seats going vacant after the completion of all rounds of counselling by the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA).
This year, a total of 38,418 seats were available across all three courses, but 19,771 seats remained vacant by the end of the counselling process. In comparison, 15,670 seats were left unfilled in 2024, as reported by Deccan Herald on Friday.
In an attempt to address the vacancy issue, KEA conducted a third round of counselling for the first time, but it did little to help fill the seats.
“This year, even the number of available seats increased compared to last year. There were a total of 38,418 seats available as against the 36,648 seats in 2024,” DH quoted an official of KEA as saying.
Experts attribute the decline in demand to delays in the counselling process. An expert, quoted by DH, said that although the PGCET was conducted three months ago, the counselling was held in October. “But by then, the private universities had completed the admissions by conducting their own entrance tests,” the expert added.
KEA officials, however, reportedly clarified that the delay in counselling was due to the late arrival of the seat matrix, not inefficiencies within the authority.
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Naval information leak case: Fourth accused held
Udupi (Karnataka) (PTI): The Udupi police have arrested another accused in a case involving the alleged transmission of confidential information related to the Indian Navy to Pakistan, taking the total number of arrests to four, officials said on Thursday.
The arrested accused has been identified as Alif Islam (21), a native of West Bengal, who was presently residing at Marayur village in Idukki district of Kerala, they said.
He was apprehended in connection with the alleged leak of a confidential list containing identification numbers of Indian naval vessels, police said.
According to investigators, the accused are suspected to have shared sensitive information through WhatsApp and Facebook with contacts in Pakistan without authorisation.
The case was registered at Malpe police station in 2025 following a complaint regarding the alleged illegal transmission of naval-related data, officials said.
Police said the investigation pertains to the alleged sharing of a classified list of ship numbers linked to the Indian Navy.
In November 2025, two accused -- Rohit and Santri from Uttar Pradesh -- were taken into custody in connection with the same case. Later, Hirendra Kumar from Gujarat was arrested in December 2025.
With the latest arrest, the number of persons held in the case has risen to four.
Police said one more accused is yet to be apprehended. The operator of the Facebook page allegedly used to transmit the information also remains at large.
Investigators suspect that Islam may be a Bangladeshi national, and efforts are on to verify his citizenship and other credentials.
Further investigation is under way, police added.
