Mangaluru: Dakshina Kannada has secured the second spot with 14 toppers in the CET-2026 results announced on Saturday. In the engineering section, four students featured among toppers, while there was one topper each in veterinary, nursing, yoga and naturopathy, BPharm, and PharmD in farm sciences, and six toppers in these categories in the district.
Top Ranks in Various Streams
Rishon Fernandes secured the 10th rank in BPharm and PharmD. In veterinary and nursing, Rishab M Shetty of Expert PU College, Valachil, secured the 8th rank. In yoga and naturopathy, Deeksha Shenoy of Expert Pre-University Science College, Kodialbail, secured the 6th rank.
In farm sciences, which includes agriculture, sericulture, and forestry, Samay AS of Expert PU College, Valachil, secured the third rank, while Rishika KS secured the fourth rank. Ankit Ashok Dodawad secured the 6th rank, Arale Virupakshi secured the 7th rank, Krutika Mallikarjun Patil secured the 8th rank (Expert PU College, Valachil), and Shreya Ballal Nidamboor of Sharada PU College, Kodialbail, secured the 9th rank.
Aspirations of Toppers
Rishika KS, a PCMB student who secured 4th rank in farm sciences, said that she wants to pursue medicine and was preparing for NEET. Her father Sudhakar KA works as a horticulture officer, and her mother Kanchana is a government school teacher. Ashok Dodawad from Bailhongal in Belagavi, father of Ankit Ashok Dodawad, a PCMB student who secured 6th rank in farm science, said that his son aims to pursue medicine. Both Ashok and his wife Vijayalakshmi are gynaecologists.
Arale Virupakshi, a PCMB student from Ballari, also aims to pursue medicine. Krutika Mallikarjun Patil, daughter of Mallikarjun Patil and a PCMB student from Bagalkot, is also aiming for a medical course. Shreya Ballal Nidamboor, a PCMB student, plans to pursue computer science engineering, and said she will choose an institution based on her engineering rank in CET, which she said is 54th.
Parental Reactions
Dr Mahesh Shetty, father of Rishab M Shetty from Hunsur, said that his son is a NEET aspirant and did not focus on CET, and that they did not expect this result. He attributed the achievement to the coaching and support provided by Rishab’s mother Sulatha Shetty.
Access Issues
Meanwhile, several KCET toppers and students from the district were unable to access their results for long hours.
