JEE Results Delayed Over OBC Quota Row

OBC quota row under legal review delays JEE results, confirms board chief

The chairperson of the state Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) board stated on Friday that the JEE results from last month have not been released due to an ongoing legal dispute concerning OBC reservations.

Sonali Chakravarti Banerjee explained that the board is awaiting official instructions before announcing the results.

The state-level JEE was conducted on April 27, and the results were initially scheduled for release on June 5.

Concerns have been raised by many parents to the higher education department, fearing that delays might prompt BTech aspirants to seek admission outside Bengal.

Taranjit Singh, president of a private engineering colleges’ forum, noted that the delay has already led some students to enroll in institutions in other states.

“We had intended to announce the results on June 5, but the OBC reservation matter, currently under judicial consideration, has held up the process. We must wait for the relevant authorities’ instructions before we can proceed,” Banerjee mentioned while addressing a pre-counselling and education fair organized by the Association of Professional Academic Institutions (APAI).

On June 17, the Calcutta High Court temporarily stayed a June 8 notification from the Bengal government that had listed 140 sub-castes under the OBC category. This stay came after an earlier court ruling that invalidated all OBC certificates issued post-2010.

The interim stay is in effect until July 31, with the next hearing scheduled for July 24.

Meanwhile, the state government is awaiting further proceedings in the High Court and has also approached the Supreme Court, which is expected to hear the matter in mid-July after its summer break.

A JEE board official added, “Due to this legal uncertainty, we are unable to finalize the seat matrix that includes OBC quotas.”