Cuttack: The Orissa High Court Friday directed the OPSC (Odisha Public Service Commission) to complete the selection process for the ASO (Assistant Section Officer) within six weeks, a source said Friday.
The source mentioned that a contempt case had been previously filed due to OPSC’s non-compliance with High Court’s May 19 directive in which the Commission was directed to publish a fresh merit list.
The Orissa High Court July 31 dismissed the review petition related to alleged irregularities in the ASO recruitment examination. The court reaffirmed its initial ruling, in which it had ordered the creation of a new merit list.
Mentionably, the ASO recruitment examination was conducted August 27, 2022 and the results were declared November 7, 2022. A number of applicants had moved Orissa High Court citing irregularities in the recruitment process.
According to reports, the dispute centers around the new ‘qualification mark rule’ that the OPSC introduced while publishing the merit list. As per the new rule, a sectional cut-off was implemented, requiring candidates to achieve qualifying marks in each subject.
The candidates objected that the new qualifying mark criterion was introduced later after the written tests and that OPSC had not mentioned about this in prior notifications. The Orissa High Court scrapped the merit list May 19, 2023. Later, a new review petition was submitted in the High Court, citing that the order, dated May 19, had been issued without involving the shortlisted candidates as parties in the case.
PNN