All undergraduate admissions in Bengal have been stalled with the latest directive issued by the state health department on Monday, putting the MBBS and dental admission process “in abeyance till further order”.

Admissions to general degree courses in state-aided colleges and engineering courses were already on hold due to the impasse over OBC reservations.

Medical entry

The counselling process for the state’s 34 medical and seven dental colleges began on July 31, with results scheduled for Wednesday, August 20. Selected candidates were to report between Thursday and Saturday to complete admission formalities.

A circular from the directorate of medical education on Monday stated: “WB NEET UG Medical Dental 2025 Counselling/Admission process has been kept in abeyance till further order.”

The notice gave no reason, but a senior health department official said the delay was due to ongoing uncertainty over OBC reservations: “There is no clarity on how to go about the OBC reservations. We had no other option.”

Students anxious

Arijit Chowdhury, ranked 11,245 nationally and 400 in the state, had hoped for a seat at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. “I am disappointed. I was keen to take admission at RG Kar. If the delay continues, we’ll have fewer days to prepare before the first semester,” he said.

Arijit is from Kenduadihi, Bankura. Like him, the future of lakhs of students across Bengal now hangs in limbo.

Admissions to general degree and BTech courses in government and aided colleges are also on hold. The West Bengal Joint Entrance Examinations Board (WBJEE) has yet to release its merit list, though the entrance exam was held on April 27.

Undergraduate admissions to Presidency University — based on entrance tests conducted by the JEE board on June 20–21 — are yet to begin.

Only autonomous and minority institutions such as St Xavier’s and the Ramakrishna Mission colleges in Belur, Khardah, and Narendrapur have completed admissions.

Health department officials fear missing the National Medical Council’s September 5 deadline to commence classes. Ironically, while 85 per cent of seats reserved for Bengal students are frozen, admissions for the remaining 15 per cent — open to students from other states — are continuing.

Legal tangle

The admission freeze stems from legal and administrative confusion over OBC reservations.

The latest hurdle came on August 7 — the day JEE results were due — when Calcutta High Court directed the JEE board to rework the merit list using pre-2010 OBC norms.

OBC reservations were raised from 7 to 17 per cent after 2010, introducing two categories — OBC-A and OBC-B.

A May 22, 2024 Calcutta High Court order cancelled OBC-A and OBC-B certificates as “invalid”.

The state government challenged the order in the Supreme Court and issued a June 8 notification identifying 140 OBC categories eligible for 17 per cent reservation in education and jobs.

On June 17, a high court division bench of Justices Tapabrata Chakraborty and Rajasekhar Mantha stayed this notification. The state again moved the Supreme Court.

On July 28, a three-judge Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice B.R. Gavai observed that reservation is an executive function and doesn’t require legislation. “We are surprised at the high court’s reasons,” he remarked.

The apex court sent the matter back to the high court.

On August 7, Justice Kaushik Chanda directed the JEE board to revert to pre-2010 norms, stating: “The interim order dated July 28, 2025, passed by the Supreme Court, does not revive or validate the OBC-A and OBC-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 OBC candidates to participate in the exam on the basis of such cancelled certificates,” his order said.

The Bengal government has again approached the Supreme Court, challenging the high court’s direction halting the publication of JEE results. The case, which came up for hearing on August 12, was adjourned to September 9.

State education minister Bratya Basu said last week: “We are concerned about the publication of the JEE results. Despite the Supreme Court’s order, efforts are underway to prevent publication.”