The Common Entrance Test-2025 (CET-2025), which is the gateway for admission to professional courses, including engineering, will begin on April 15, 2025. However, the investigation into the alleged engineering seat-blocking scam that took place last year has now been halted without reaching a logical conclusion.
Sources have alleged that the police halted the investigation due to political pressure. Concerns have been raised that this may lead to similar illegalities recurring this year.
“We have filed a charge sheet against 11 people involved in the scam, detailing their modus operandi and intentions. The case is pending trial,” said a senior police officer who is part of the investigation.
“However, if the charge sheet is filed without investigating the engineering colleges involved in the scam and without gathering information about the financial transactions that took place, the accused may be easily acquitted,” said officials of the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA).
2,000 seats blocked
By misusing the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of candidates applying for government quota engineering seats in private colleges, some miscreants blocked more than 2,000 engineering seats during the 2024–25 academic year. In this regard, the KEA registered an FIR at the Malleshwaram police station on November 14, 2024.
The police arrested 10 people, including a contractual employee of the KEA, for their alleged involvement and recovered 13 mobile phones, three laptops, and several other documents, some of which were allegedly set on fire in an attempt to destroy evidence as soon as the scam came to light.
Subsequently, notices were sent to BMS College of Engineering, Akash Institute of Engineering and Technology, and New Horizon College of Engineering, which were named in the FIR as the alleged beneficiaries of the scam.
However, BMS College of Engineering approached the High Court of Karnataka to challenge the case.
The court directed the city police not to take any coercive action against BMS College of Engineering but instructed the college authorities to cooperate with the police investigation in an order dated December 16, 2024.
Amidst all this, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) also wrote to the KEA in December seeking information about the engineering seat-blocking scam.
Political pressure?
Sources said that some politicians, who strongly objected to the pace of the investigation, pressured the police to stall the inquiry for the time being.
The accused were arrested following investigations conducted in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and other States connected to the case.
“One of the arrested accused from Tumakuru is a full-time worker of a national political party and had shared the stage with a Union Minister at a Janaspandana programme,” police sources said.
In addition, police sources confirmed that he had also been arrested by the Tamil Nadu police in a previous seat-blocking case. It is also known that some of the arrested individuals were involved in a medical seat-blocking scam in the past.
Parents’ concern
Parents are worried as the investigation has not reached a logical end.
“My son took CET-2025 this year and wants to pursue Computer Science Engineering. He scored good marks in II PU. I’m worried about what will happen if miscreants continue to block seats this year. The government should complete the investigation into last year’s seat-blocking case before the start of CET counselling and take action to punish the accused,” urged Padmanabha, a parent from Bengaluru.
Speaking to The Hindu, Higher Education Minister M.C. Sudhakar said, “I will soon meet the Bengaluru City Police Commissioner and urge them to complete the investigation at the earliest. If they fail to do so, we will consider conducting the investigation through other agencies.”
Published - April 12, 2025 09:34 pm IST
