WBJEEB lifts B.Tech counselling curbs after student, teacher protests
Synopsis
WBJEEB reversed a contentious B.Tech counselling restriction on 30 August after students and teachers protested en masse. The earlier rule had barred centralised-admitted candidates from the decentralised round entirely — blocking seat upgradation. The board's U-turn restores that option and promises a revised schedule soon.
Key Takeaways
WBJEEB lifted B.Tech counselling restrictions on 30 August following protests by students and teachers.
The earlier notification had barred students admitted via Centralised Online Counselling from participating in the Common Online Decentralised Counselling round.
The fresh notification confirms that centrally-admitted candidates will now be eligible for the decentralised counselling process.
The original restriction was intended to prevent seat blocking and multiple seat claims, according to a state higher education department official.
A revised complete notification and counselling schedule will be published on the WBJEEB official website shortly.
The West Bengal Joint Entrance Examinations Board (WBJEEB) on Sunday, 30 August reversed a widely criticised restriction on its counselling process for B.Tech admissions, allowing candidates already admitted through centralised counselling to also participate in the decentralised counselling round. The rollback followed sustained protests from both students and teachers across the state.
What the Earlier Restriction Said
A previous WBJEEB notification had barred students who had already secured seats through the Centralised Online Counselling process from participating in the Common Online Decentralised Counselling system. Under that rule, only B.Tech aspirants who had not qualified through centralised counselling were permitted to enter the decentralised round — and solely on the basis of their Higher Secondary (10+2) examination marks.
Why Students and Teachers Pushed Back
The restriction drew sharp criticism from both students and teachers, who questioned the merit basis of the rule. Their central objection: the earlier notification effectively denied already-admitted students any opportunity for seat upgradation — a standard expectation in multi-round counselling systems. Critics argued that the curb would lead to inequitable outcomes, locking candidates into their initial allotments regardless of subsequent availability.
What the Fresh Notification Changes
In the revised notification issued on Sunday, WBJEEB confirmed that candidates already admitted through this year's centralised process will now be eligible to participate in the decentralised counselling round as well. The board added that a revised complete notification for the Online Decentralised Counselling process, along with a revised schedule, will be published separately on its official website shortly.
What Officials Said
An official from the state higher education department said the original restriction was designed to prevent practical problems — including multiple seat claims, unnecessary seat blocking, and seat migration by candidates who had already been allotted places. 'However, since both the students' and teachers' fraternity are against it, the restriction has now been lifted,' the official said.
What Happens Next
The WBJEEB is expected to publish the revised decentralised counselling schedule on its official website in the coming days. Candidates who had been admitted through centralised counselling should monitor the board's portal for the updated notification before registering for the decentralised round.
Point of View
Multiple claims — are being drafted without adequate stakeholder consultation, forcing embarrassing rollbacks under public pressure. The original intent was not unreasonable; multi-round counselling systems do create seat hoarding. But the implementation, which denied upgradation rights to already-admitted students, crossed a line that students and faculty recognised immediately. The board now faces a tighter timeline to publish a credible revised schedule before the admission window closes — and the quality of that notification will determine whether this episode ends as a minor administrative hiccup or a larger credibility problem for West Bengal's engineering admissions process.
NationPress
30 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did WBJEEB change in its B.Tech counselling notification?
WBJEEB reversed a restriction that had barred students already admitted through centralised counselling from participating in the decentralised counselling round. The fresh notification issued on 30 August now allows such candidates to participate in the Common Online Decentralised Counselling process as well.
Why had WBJEEB originally imposed the counselling restriction?
According to a state higher education department official, the restriction was meant to prevent multiple seat claims, unnecessary seat blocking, and seat migration by candidates who had already been allotted places through centralised counselling. However, the rule faced widespread opposition and was subsequently withdrawn.
Who protested against the WBJEEB counselling restriction?
Both students and teachers protested against the restriction. They argued that the rule denied already-admitted students the opportunity for seat upgradation and questioned the fairness of limiting decentralised counselling only to those who had not qualified through the centralised route.
When will the revised WBJEEB counselling schedule be published?
WBJEEB has stated that the revised complete notification for the Online Decentralised Counselling process, along with a separate revised schedule, will be published on the board's official website soon. A specific date has not been announced yet.
Who is eligible for WBJEEB's decentralised counselling now?
Following the 30 August notification, candidates who qualified through the centralised counselling process and were already admitted, as well as those who did not qualify through centralised counselling but have Higher Secondary marks, are now eligible to participate in the Common Online Decentralised Counselling round.
