August 8, 2025

KOLKATA: In a blockbuster development, the Calcutta High Court on Thursday slammed the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination (WBJEE) Board for not following its earlier order on OBC reservation. The court ordered the WBJEE Board to prepare and publish a fresh merit list for the JEE exam. Why? Because the earlier list failed to give the rightful 7% reservation to 66 classes of Other Backward Classes (OBC), as recognized by West Bengal's Backward Classes Department before 2010. Justice Kausik Chanda’s bench did not mince words. It said, "The WBJEE Board shall recast the merit list and publish a fresh panel, providing seven percent reservation for the 66 classes of OBC candidates as recognized by the West Bengal Backward Classes Department prior to 2010." The court gave a strict deadline — the WBJEE Board has 15 days to finish this important task. Not only that, but the bench also asked the Board’s registrar and West Bengal’s higher education department to file affidavits confirming they have complied with this order at the next hearing, scheduled in three weeks. The drama started earlier when WBJEE results were about to be announced on August 7, but the release was suddenly delayed. Why? Because the court began a suo motu contempt case. This happened after some candidates, listed in the Joint Entrance Test for Medical and Allied Sciences Postgraduate (JEMAS-PG) and WBJEE merit lists, complained that the court’s May 21, 2025 order was ignored. The May order instructed the WBJEE Board to revise the merit lists for medical and allied postgraduate courses for the academic year 2024-2025, ensuring the 7% reservation for 66 OBC groups recognized before 2010. These candidates’ complaints reached the court through personal emails, raising the alarm. Now, the WBJEE Board must quickly get its act together, honor the court’s command, and publish a merit list that truly respects reservation rules. The education battleground in West Bengal just got hotter, folks!

Read More at Hindustantimes →

Tags: Wbjee, Calcutta high court, Obc reservation, Merit list, West bengal education,