Cuttack, March 27: Orissa High Court has directed the state government to hold Odisha Joint Entrance Examination (OJEE) for BTech (engineering) courses for the 2015-16 academic session.

The division bench of Justice Indrajit Mahanty and Justice B.K. Nayak delivered the order on a petition filed by Odisha Private Engineering Colleges Association (Opeca).

Last year, the Naveen Patnaik government did away with the OJEE and participated in the CBSE-conducted JEE (Main) for admission to all government and private engineering colleges for BTech engineering and architecture courses.

"Today's order implies that the students seeking admissions to technical institutions will have the option to take either of the two examinations. One will also have the option to take both the entrance tests," an official said.

The court, in its judgment, directed the state government to start the process of holding OJEE-2015 from June 6 and complete the process of counselling and admissions in colleges by August 14, Opeca counsel Debi Prasad Das told The Telegraph today.

The CBSE conducted JEE (Main) will be held on April 4, 10 and 11. Declaration of score and top 1,50,000 candidates eligible for appearing in JEE (Advanced) has been scheduled for April 27.

On July 7, all India rank for JEE (Main) paper I and II will be announced.

Keeping in view the JEE (Main) schedule and the "likelihood of adverse impact on the students of the state who have already applied for appearing in the examination," the court directed the OJEE committee to ensure that counselling was over by August 6.

"The interest of the students, ought not to be disturbed," the court said.

In its order, the court ruled that "the decision of the state government (to join JEE-Main) is not permissible under the Orissa Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admission and Fixation of Fee) Act, 2007".

The government was yet to amend the act to allow the state to join the JEE (Main).

Opeca secretary Binod Dash filed the petition seeking direction to the state government to conduct the OJEE for the 2015-16 academic year for admission of students into BTech engineering courses in private engineering colleges in Odisha.

The Opeca had sought intervention of the high court in July last year contending "that many students who are otherwise eligible to seek admission into technical courses, could not do so, either since their examination results had not been declared prior to the last date for submission of application for JEE (Main) or some students had appeared in the supplementary exam, thereafter and consequently could not make the necessary applications".

The high court had on August 1, 2014, directed the state government to hold special OJEE for BTech (engineering) courses for the 2014-15 academic year to give "another opportunity" to eligible students to seek admission to technical institutions in the state.

The OJEE committee had moved the Supreme Court challenging the high court verdict. However, it withdrew the case and implemented the high court direction for a second OJEE for the 2014-15 academic year.