West Bengal Joint Entrance Examinations Board Act, 2014
No: 14 Dated: Sep, 04 2014
THE WEST BENGAL JOINT ENTRANCE EXAMINATIONS BOARD ACT, 2014
West Bengal Act XIV of 2014
An Act to provide for the constitution, re-constitution, administration and regulation of the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examinations Board and for matters connected therewith and incidental thereto.
Whereas the State Government, in exercise of the powers conferred under article 162 of the Constitution of India had constituted the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examinations Board pursuant to No. 828-Edn (D) dated 02.03.1962, for the purpose of conducting Joint Entrance Examination for admission to various institutions in West Bengal imparting education in medical, engineering and technological courses;
And whereas in view of the growing importance of the workings of the Board a need is felt to confer the Board the status of a statutory body and to streamline its powers and functions;
And whereas it is expedient to constitute and re-constitute the Board for the purpose of conducting Joint Entrance Examinations for Selecting Students for admission to the undergraduate courses in engineering and technology and post-graduate professional, vocational and general degree courses in various educational institutions rendering professional, vocational and general education in West Bengal and to provide for its constitution, administration and regulation and for such other matters connected therewith and incidental thereto;
It is hereby enacted in the Sixty-fifth Year of the Republic of India, by the Legislature of West Bengal, as follows:-
1. Short title, extent and commencement. - (1) This Act may be called the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examinations Board Act, 2014.
(2) It extends to the whole of the State of West Bengal.
(3) It shall come into force at once.
2. Definitions. - In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires.-
(i) "Academic year" in relation to a College or a University, comprise a period throughout which academic instruction is being given to the students for a particular year;
(ii) "Affiliating University" shall mean the University from which a college obtains affiliation;
(iii) "Board" means the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examinations Board constituted under this Act;
(iv) "Chairman" means the Chairman of the Board as may be appointed by the State Government, by order;
(v) "counselling" means a single-window process of selection of candidates on the basis of merit secured in the concerned Joint Entrance Examinations conducted by the Board;
(vi) "Director of Medical Education" means the Director of Medical Education in the Health and Family Welfare Department, Government of West Bengal;
(vii) "Director of Technical Education" means the Director of Technical Education appointed by the State Government;
(viii) "examination fee" means the fees to be collected by the Board for the purpose of the entrance examination;
(ix) "existing Board" means the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examinations Board as constituted pursuant to No. 828-Edn(D) dated 02.03.1962 by the State Government;
(x) "General Degree Course" means the course other than the professional and vocational course;
(xi) "Government College" means the colleges established and administered by the State Government;
(xii) "Joint Entrance Examination" means a common combined competitive examination to be conducted by the Board for the purpose of selection of students for admission to the various undergraduate and post-graduate professional, vocational and general degree courses in various educational institutions rendering professional, vocational and general degree course in West Bengal;
(xiii) "management quota" means the number of seats to be filled up by an institution's management as may be decided by the State Government from time to time;
(xiv) "merit list" means the list to be prepared and published by the Board on the basis of the Joint Entrance Examination;
(xv) "Minority Educational Institution" means an institution administered by any minority as defined under clause(f) of section 2 of the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions Act, 2004;
(xvi) "minority quota" means the number of seats reserved in a minority educational institution for a particular academic year;
(xvii) "open merit category" means the category of seats other than the seats reserved for management quota or minority quota;
(xviii) "Private College" means a college run and administered by a private body out of their own fund and duly approved by the State Government;
(xix) "Private University" means a University constituted and incorporated by an Act of the State Legislature and recognized by the University Grants Commission, but administered and maintained out of private funds;
(xx) "professional college" means a college imparting professional courses;
(xxi) "professional course" means the course of study in the field of engineering, technology, management, medicine, surgery, nursing, dentistry, pharmaceutical science, veterinary science, agricultural science, fisheries science, dairy, forestry and such other courses including vocational courses as may be determined by the relevant regulatory authority;
(xxii) "Prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
(xxiii) "regulations" means the regulations of the Board;
(xxiv) "Regulatory authority" means-
(a) a body established by the Central Government for laying down norms and conditions for ensuring academic standards of higher education in its designated areas of coverage, such as University Grants Commission, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, All India Council for Technical Education, Medical Council of India, Distance Education Council, National Assessment and Accreditation Council. Pharmacy Council of India, Director General of Shipping. National Council for Teacher Education. Bar Council of India. Council of Architecture. Rehabilitation Council of India and such other statutory body as may be established by the Central Government for the purpose of imparting higher education;
(b) the affiliating University; and
(c) the Government of West Bengal in the Higher Education Department;
(xxv) "State Government" means Government of West Bengal in the Higher Education Department;
(xxvi) "Vice-Chairman" means the Vice Chairman of the Board as may be appointed by the State Government, by order;
(xxvii) "University" means a University established and incorporated by an Act of State Legislature.
3. Application of this Act. - (1) This Act shall apply to all Colleges and Universities rendering professional, vocational and general degree courses in undergraduate and postgraduate level in the State of West Bengal.
(2) The Private Universities and the minority educational institutions providing professional and vocational courses may, at their option, admit students from the merit list prepared by the Board on the basis of the Joint Entrance Examination:
Provided that the provisions of this Act shall apply mutatis mutandis to those Private Universities or those Minority Educational Institutions that have opted to admit students from the merit list referred to in this sub-section.