D'Sa urges Karnataka Chief Justice to rein in Justice Pinto

February 21, 2012

Mangalore, February 21: In a strongly worded letter to Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court Justice Vikramjit Sen, People's Union for Civil Liberties state president P B D'Sa has expressed concern over the attitude of sitting judge of High Court Justice B V Pinto, who has allegedly accepted invitations for felicitations from an unending number of private individuals and organisations in Mangalore and adjoining areas.

The letter requested the judge to desist from accepting these Invitations, gifts, dinners and more importantly from making very patronising speeches at these functions, warning that such trends would undermine the independence of the Judiciary.

The letter states that under the guise of honouring the Judge very lavish presentations are being made.

“What cannot be overlooked is the fact that these persons, departments and institutions are all litigants in various Courts and there is absolutely no doubt about the fact that the so-called functions are motivated”, it said.

The letter also raised objections over local politicians and officials including police officers sharing the dais with the judge.

The letter warns that the public confidence in the independence of the Judiciary gets shaken because an impression is created in the public mind that the balance in the litigation could get tilted because of these factors.

It reminds, there exists a well settled principle of Law and ethics which requires that sitting Judges should not accept any such Invitations while holding office. “We recall with respect the occasion when the Chief Justice R G Sethi visited Mangalore on his official visit to the District and a group of citizens and organizations desired to hold a public function honouring and felicitating him and the Chief Justice declined to accept the Invitation which earned tremendous respect to him and to the Judiciary”, it said.

Contrary to this, in the short time since his elevation, Justice B V Pinto, has visited the area at least 30 occasions and regularly continues to do so, on many occasions by taking time off from his judicial duties, the letter complained.

The letter also quoted a specific instance where a group of persons belonging to the Legal Cell of the Mangalore Diocese invited the Judge for a very lavish felicitation function.

“Every one of these functions also includes Dinners where alcohol is served freely. While there may be no legal prohibition to this, it does create the wrong impression and eyebrows are certainly raised. The other fall out is that these individuals and organizations openly start name dropping to the effect that the Judge is personally known to them which has a very damaging effect on the adverse parties in the pending litigations”, it said.

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Mangaluru’s KPT becomes India’s first autonomous govt polytechnic

News Network

January 23,2026

Mangaluru: The Karnataka Government Polytechnic (KPT), Mangaluru, has achieved autonomous status from the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), becoming the first government polytechnic in the country to receive such recognition in its 78-year history. The status was granted by AICTE, New Delhi, and subsequently approved by the Karnataka Board of Technical Education in October last year.

Officials said the autonomy was conferred a few months ago. Until recently, AICTE extended autonomous status only to engineering colleges, excluding diploma institutions. However, with a renewed national focus on skill development, several government polytechnics across India have now been granted autonomy.

KPT, the second-largest polytechnic in Karnataka, was established in 1946 with four branches and has since expanded to offer eight diploma programmes, including computer science and polymer technology. The institution is spread across a 19-acre campus.

Ravindra M Keni, the first dean of the institution, told The Times of India that AICTE had proposed autonomous status for polytechnic institutions that are over 25 years old. “Many colleges applied. In the first round, 100 institutions were shortlisted, which was further narrowed down to 15 in the second round. We have already completed one semester after becoming an autonomous institution,” he said. He added that nearly 500 students are admitted annually across eight three-year diploma courses.

Explaining the factors that helped KPT secure autonomy, Keni said the institution has consistently recorded 100 per cent admissions and placements for its graduates. He also noted its strong performance in sports, with the college emerging champions for 12 consecutive years, along with active student participation in NCC and NSS activities.

Autonomous status allows KPT to design industry-oriented curricula, conduct examinations, prepare question papers, and manage academic documentation independently. The institution can also directly collaborate with industries and receive priority funding from AICTE or the Ministry of Education. While academic autonomy has been granted, financial control will continue to rest with the state government.

“There will be separate committees for examinations, question paper setting, boards of studies, and boards of examiners. The institution will now have the freedom to conduct admissions without government notifications and issue its own marks cards,” Keni said, adding that new academic initiatives would be planned after a year of functioning under the autonomous framework.

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