HC allows 49 persons above upper age limit of 23 yrs to apply for sepoy, constable posts

Cuttack: Orissa high court on Friday asked the Odisha Police State Selection Board to allow 49 applicants, who had crossed the upper age limit of 23 years, to submit their application forms and take part in the recruitment process for 1,360 posts of sepoys/constables in 16 battalions.
Advertisement for these posts was published on Aug 29, with the deadline for submitting applications being Oct 22.On Sept 27, all 49 candidates, belonging to various categories, filed a petition challenging the advertisement. On Friday, advocate Rajib Rath, representing the petitioners, requested the court to direct SSB to allow them to submit their application forms and appear in the open competitive recruitment examination for 2024-25. Rath argued that although the last recruitment for these posts was held in 2018, no age relaxation was provided for those who had crossed 23 years in the interim.
The petitioner’s counsel sought relaxation of the upper age limit by amending and modifying the eligibility clause in the Aug 29 advertisement, taking into account the Covid-19 pandemic, Odisha Civil Service (Fixation of Upper Age Limit) Rules, 1989 and Order 21 of Odisha Battalion Service (Method of Recruitment and Conditions of Service of Sepoys or Constables, Havildars and ASI (Armed) Order, 2022), which includes a relaxation clause. It was also highlighted that according to 1989 Rules, the upper age limit for all state govt services was set at 32 years.
After considering the submissions, the bench of Justice Sashikanta Mishra issued an interim order stating, “The petitioners shall be permitted to apply...and also participate in the recruitment process.”