Palemar returns to Mangalore, pleads innocence

February 20, 2012

Mangalore, February 20: The Mangalore North MLA Krishna J Palemar, who was forced to resign from his ministerial berth two weeks ago, has pleaded not guilty during his first visit to home constituency following the Assembly porngate.

Mr Palemar, who was one of the most influential politicians of Karnataka till February 7, when he faced the charge of providing porn clips to his two cabinet colleagues during the Assembly proceedings, speaking to media persons at his residence in the city on Monday expressed confidence that the House Committee probe would prove his innocence.

“The reason for my resignation was not that I did a mistake, rather, I did not want my district or state to have a shady image. Moreover I did not want to harm my party's image,” said Mr Palemar adding that people of the coastal district, where he was in-charge minister since last four-years knew about his 'character and personality'.

The MLA justified his prolonged silence over the issue saying he thought it was not appropriate to speak in the public when he had given a written statement before the House Committee formed to inquire into the porngate.

He admitted that he was in a state of mental shock following the unexpected incident in the Assembly. However, he expressed confidence that he would go to the people of the district once again after coming clean on porngate.

Mr Palemar also clarified that it was the Party's responsibility to decide whether to make him minister after coming clean on allegations or not.

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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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