Orissa high court junks OSSC’s 6-yr ban on 58 from appearing in hiring exams

Cuttack: Orissa high court has quashed the Odisha Staff Selection Commission’s (OSSC) order barring 58 junior engineer (civil) aspirants from appearing in any of its exams for six years over their alleged role in suspected question paper leak, observing that the punishment imposed was “not just and proper”.Justice Biraja Prasanna Satapathy delivered the judgment on Jan 20 while considering a batch of 29 petitions challenging the OSSC’s order dated May 12, 2025. Under the impugned order, the candidates were barred from July 16, 2023 to July 15, 2029, and their candidature in all exams applied for during the period stood cancelled.The dispute relates to the recruitment process for 1,008 posts of junior engineer (civil), advertised on Nov 2, 2022. Preliminary examination was held on June 4, 2023, followed by written exam on July 16, 2023.The same day OSSC registered a case at Sahadevkhunta police station in Balasore and after receiving a report from the district superintendent of police, the exam was cancelled and rescheduled it for Sept 3, 2023.Although final results were declared on Nov 4, 2023 after certificate verification, the results of 58 candidates were withheld. This was followed by the aspirants getting barred from appearing in OSSC exams over question paper leak.Emphasising that the petitioners “have not yet been charge-sheeted and no material have been found against them as yet” in the criminal case, Justice Satapathy ruled that the debarment order dated May 12, 2025 “is not just and proper” and “disproportionate to the alleged misconduct of the petitioners”. Accordingly, the judge quashed it, granting liberty to the candidates to appear in future OSSC exams.However, Justice Satapathy made it clear that the quashed order “will stand automatically revived” if any of the petitioners is charge-sheeted on completion of the investigation.The court further directed that the results of the petitioners who appeared in the rescheduled exam on Sept 3, 2023 be published if they are not charge-sheeted upon completion of investigation by June 2026, with consequential appointments to follow for those found successful.