Karnataka Halves Land-Lease Rule for Private Schools: 30 Years Cut to 15

Notification: No. EP 1 PGC 2026(P.1), Karnataka Government Secretariat, dated 15 May 2026. Published in Karnataka Gazette Part-IVA, No. 378. Issued by: Department of School Education and Literacy, signed by Shubhamangala R.V., Special Officer & Ex-officio Under Secretary to Government (Planning). What it does: Amends the Karnataka Educational Institutions (Classification, Regulation and Prescription of Curricula, etc.) Rules, 1995. To be cited as the Amendment Rules, 2026. Comes into force from the date of final publication in the Official Gazette. The change — Rule 5, sub-rule (4) is substituted with:

Every private body of persons desiring to establish and maintain an educational institution imparting pre-primary, primary, secondary and higher secondary education, or any part thereof, shall own — or have on a registered lease deed or registered rental agreement for a minimum period of fifteen years — the minimum contiguous extent of land, building and playground of the educational institution, with permission from relevant authorities. Educational institutions shall submit RTC / e-Khata / khata document, as applicable, as proof of land ownership.

Procedural note in the notification: The draft was published on 27 March 2026, objections and suggestions were invited, and the government states these have been considered. What actually changed: The earlier sub-rule (4) required a much longer lease tenure (thirty years, per the position you're referring to). The amendment reduces that minimum to fifteen years. So this is a relaxation for private schools — easier to qualify on tenure — not a tightening. The contiguous-land and RTC/e-Khata/khata proof requirements remain part of the substituted text.