Orissa High Court hears review petition on ASO recruitment, reserves order 

The Orissa High Court on Thursday heard the review petition filed by candidates shortlisted by the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) for the post of Assistant Section Officer (ASO). However, the court has reserved its order. 

On November 7, 2022, the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) announced the result of the written examination for 796 (265 women) ASO posts under the Odisha Secretariat Service. 

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.

However, thousands of aspirants had alleged irregularities in the selection process and staged a demonstration in front of the Odisha Public Service Commission office in Cuttack. 

A batch of petitions was filed in the HC by aspirants alleging irregularities in the selection process of the ASO examination conducted by the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC).

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, five candidates who were shortlisted by the OPSC filed a fresh review petition in the High Court on the grounds that the order had been passed on May 19 without making the shortlisted candidates parties in the case. 

Informing about the development, Subhadutta Routray, the counsel for the shortlisted candidates said, “The aspirants who couldn’t make it to the merit list of 1104 candidates had knocked on the doors of the High Court. The High Court had quashed the merit list. Then the shortlisted candidates had filed a petition on the grounds that they had not been made parties to the case. The court today heard the case but reserved its order.”

Notably, the OPSC conducted the written examination on August 27, 2022.