Jadavpur University and Bengal Engineering and Science University would rather have empty seats in classrooms than students from the bottom of the JEE merit list in them.

The state government wants the two premier engineering colleges to fill up their 170 vacant seats in the first year with students who have not secured admission in any engineering college after the third round of counselling.

In a meeting on Friday, the Besu admissions committee decided that it would not follow the government directive, said a member of the committee.

“We need meritorious students. If we are not allowed to admit students with higher ranks, the seats will remain empty. We have made this resolution, which will be communicated to the government on Monday,” said the committee member.

Of the 170 seats, 115 are in JU and 55 in Besu.

“Jadavpur University is thinking along Besu’s lines. We would rather have seats vacant than admit students ranked near the bottom,” said a member of JU admissions committee.

Last Monday, the two colleges had decided to hold decentralised counselling by advertising vacancies and seeking fresh application from students who had secured admission elsewhere but want to study in JU and Besu.

But later they asked the higher education department to hold a fourth round of e-counselling, so that students who have taken admission elsewhere can secure berths in JU and Besu.

On Thursday, the department had ruled out a fourth round of e-counselling and insisted on decentralised counselling in keeping with a July 31 directive that states that the 20,000 candidates who have secured admission in engineering colleges through the first three rounds of e-counselling will be ineligible for admission to the vacant seats.

“On Monday, we will request the government to let students who have taken admissions elsewhere to participate in decentralised counselling. Students who have not secured admission anywhere would also be allowed to participate. We hope a solution would be reached,” said Ajay Ray, the vice-chancellor of Besu.

A JU teacher explained the pitfalls of admitting students from the bottom of the merit list. “Teachers will find it difficult to communicate with a class comprising a student who has ranked 60 as well as one who has ranked 40,000. Below-par students will find it difficult to cope with the rest,” said the teacher.

The government’s directive amounts to infringing on the autonomy of the university, said a Besu teacher.

“Though ours is state-aided university, but we cannot let the higher education department dictate terms and admit undeserving candidates. We will not lower the standards we have set over the years,” said the teacher.