Calcutta High Court Directs Redrawing Of WBJEE 2025 Merit List In Compliance With HC Orders On OBC Reservation

The Calcutta High Court has directed the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examinations Board to recast the merit list drawn up for the 2025 Joint Entrance Exams, to bring them in conformity with the pre-2010 percentage of OBC reservations, as had been ordered by the High Court in its May 2024 order. This came after the court observed that the Board had issued the merit list in the present case, in violation of the High Court's May 2024 order, which had not been stayed by the Supreme Court.Justice Kausik Chanda directed that the present order be sent to the Chief Secretary to ensure compliance in all ongoing and upcoming recruitment processes. He said:"This Court is of the unambiguous view that the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examinations Board, by preparing and publishing the merit list in this manner, has acted in violation of the order dated May 21, 2025, passed by this Court, in particular, the clause (f) of the operative part of the said order. It must also be noted that the interim order dated July 28, 2025, passed by the Hon'ble Supreme Court, does not revive or validate the O.B.C.-A and O.B.C.-B certificates that were expressly cancelled by the Division Bench of this Court by its order dated May 22, 2024. That order remains un-stayed. The undisputed position remains that the Joint Entrance Board has allowed O.B.C. candidates to participate in the examination on the basis of such cancelled certificates.""However, it is beyond doubt that the preparation of the merit list for the Joint Entrance Examination–2025 by the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examinations Board has been carried out in clear violation of this Court's clause (f) of the order dated May 21, 2025," he added.The court passed the following directions: 1. The West Bengal Joint Entrance Examinations Board shall recast the merit list and publish a fresh panel, providing 7% reservation for the 66 classes of O.B.C. candidates as recognized by the West Bengal Backward Classes Department prior to 2010, in terms of the judgment and order dated May 22, 2024, passed by the Division Bench in Amal Chandra Das v. State of West Bengal (supra).2. This entire exercise shall be completed within a period of 15 days from the date of this order.3. The affidavits of compliance shall be filed by the Registrar, West Bengal Joint Entrance Examinations Board, and also by an officer not below the rank of Senior Special Secretary, West Bengal Higher Education Department, on the next date of hearing.4. In view of the pending appeals against the order dated May 21, 2025, no contempt proceedings are initiated at this stage.5. The Registry shall communicate a copy of this order forthwith to the Chief Secretary, Government of West Bengal, who shall, in turn, forward the same to all concerned departments of the State Government for their guidance in respect of all ongoing and upcoming recruitments.BackgroundIn May last year, a division bench of the Calcutta High Court had cancelled all OBC certificates issued in West Bengal after the year 2010. The state government had approached the Supreme Court against this order, and told the Apex court that a fresh commission had been instituted for the classification of OBC classes in the state.The Apex court, while hearing the state's challenge, had observed that reservation cannot be granted on the basis of religion, and thus questioned the state's classification of OBC classes.Case: Supriya Mondal and Ors. Vs. Binod Kumar and Ors. Case No: CPAN 1365 of 2025Click here to read order

Calcutta High Court Directs Redrawing Of WBJEE 2025 Merit List In Compliance With HC Orders On OBC Reservation

Srinjoy Das

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