Orissa High Court stays IRB sepoys, constables appointment

The Orissa High Court has issued a stay order on the recruitment process for 1,360 sepoy and constable posts in the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) following an appeal by the Odisha government. 

The recruitment was based on an advertisement issued by the State Selection Board (Odisha Police) on August 29, 2024.

Court Imposes Interim Stay

On Thursday, the High Court imposed an interim stay after the state government challenged a December 5, 2024, order by a single-judge bench. The order had granted a one-time six-year relaxation in the upper age limit for candidates.

The judge ruled in favour of petitioners who had exceeded the 23-year age cap, citing recruitment delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic as justification for the relaxation.

ALSO READ: Leave encashment can’t be rejected due to pending case: Orissa HC

Legal Arguments and Court's Response

During the preliminary hearing, Advocate General Pitambar Acharya argued that recruitment into the uniformed force does not fall under the category of civil service. He contended that the single judge had erred in directing a revision of the advertisement through a corrigendum. 

Taking these arguments into account, the division bench of Acting Chief Justice Arindam Sinha and Justice M.S. Sahoo stayed the recruitment process until the next hearing, scheduled for March 20.

ALSO READ: Orissa HC imposes Rs 1L fine on teacher for corporal punishments, quashes criminal case

Pandemic-Era Rules at Core of Conflict

In 2022, the Odisha Civil Service Rules were amended to raise the upper age limit from 32 to 38 years for recruitment ads issued between 2021 and 2023, compensating for COVID-19 disruptions. Despite this, the benefit was excluded from the 2024 constable recruitment drive. 

The single-judge bench had directed the selection board to issue a corrigendum incorporating the age relaxation and to accept applications from overage candidates.

The last recruitment for these positions took place in 2018, and the delay caused by the pandemic has affected thousands of aspirants. The next hearing will determine the future course of the selection process.