ASO recruitment exam: Orissa HC rejects review & writ petitions, upholds earlier order

The Orissa High Court on Monday rejected the review and writ petitions filed in connection with alleged irregularities in the assistant section officer (ASO) recruitment exam conducted by the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC). The state’s apex court has upheld its earlier order directing the publication of a fresh merit list. 

Hearing the review and writ petitions filed by some candidates who were earlier shortlisted by the OPSC, the High Court rejected them and upheld its earlier order to the OPSC to prepare a fresh merit list within two months. 

Notably, the High Court had heard the review petition filed by the shortlisted candidates on July 13 but it had reserved its order. 

The OPSC had conducted the recruitment exam on August 27, 2022. On November 7, 2022, it had announced the result of the written examination for 796 (265 women) ASO posts under the Odisha Secretariat Service. 

While a total of 1104 candidates made it to the provisional list for Group-B posts in the Odisha Secretariat Service and got shortlisted for document verification and skill test, thousands of aspirants had alleged irregularities in the selection process. 

A demonstration was also staged in front of the Odisha Public Service Commission office in Cuttack. 

Alleging irregularities, a batch of petitions were filed in the HC by the aspirants. 

The High Court on May 19, 2023, scrapped the merit list prepared by the OPSC and directed it to prepare a fresh merit list within two months. 

Later, a fresh review petition in the High Court was filed on the grounds that the order had been passed on May 19 without making the shortlisted candidates parties in the case.