West Bengal publishes delayed JEE results after SC order
The Statesman | 23 August 2025
The West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination board today released the results of a key engineering and medical entrance examination after a four-month delay caused by legal disputes over caste-based reservations.
The results of the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination (WBJEE), which was held on 27 April, were published on Friday, 117 days later, following a Supreme Court order that temporarily stayed a High Court ruling linked to reservations for Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
The state-level exam, considered one of the most competitive in eastern India, saw a total of 101,643 candidates appear this year, including 77,794 from West Bengal and 23,850 from other states.
Of these, 100,502 qualified, the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination Board (WBJEEB) said. The overall pass percentage among state candidates stood at 96.64 per cent. Aniruddha Chakraborty, a student of Don Bosco School in Kolkata, topped the merit list. He was followed by Samyajyoti Biswas from Kalyani Central Model School in Nadia district, while Dishant Basu of Delhi Public School, Ruby Park, Kolkata, secured the third rank. The board said counselling schedules would be announced once the seat matrix was received from colleges and universities.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee congratulated successful candidates in a post on social media platform X, also extending greetings to their parents and teachers. “I congratulate all students who have cleared the WBJEE this year. To those who could not secure their desired results, I urge you not to be disheartened and to prepare for future opportunities,” Miss Banerjee said. “The results were delayed due to legal complications, but I am confident our students will overcome all odds and bring glory to Bengal.”
The WBJEE results were initially scheduled to be announced on 5 June, but the process was stalled after the Calcutta High Court directed a review of OBC quotas, creating uncertainty over admissions. On Monday, the Supreme Court stayed the High Court ruling, allowing the state to proceed with publishing the results. The outcome is expected to speed up admissions to engineering, pharmacy and architecture courses across state-run and private institutions, where tens of thousands of seats remain vacant pending the counselling process.
Legal experts said the dispute over OBC reservations could still resurface when the Supreme Court hears the matter in detail, but for now students would not lose an academic year.
The delay had drawn criticism from students’ groups and opposition parties, who accused the state government of mishandling the issue.