Odisha ASO Exam Row Reaches Supreme Court; Notice Issued to OPSC, Odisha Govt

Bhubaneswar/New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday admitted a petition regarding alleged irregularities in the Assistant Section Officer (ASO) recruitment exam conducted by the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC).

The petition, filed by Rajat Mishra challenging the Orissa High Court’s verdict, has prompted the Supreme Court to issue notices to the Odisha Government, OPSC, and other concerned parties. Responses are expected within four weeks, and the next hearing is scheduled accordingly.

Previously, the Orissa High Court upheld the merit list of 1104 candidates for the ASO recruitment exam conducted by OPSC and directed the resumption of the selection process. The controversy arose over the introduction of the ‘qualification mark rule’ by OPSC during the merit list determination, requiring candidates to achieve a minimum score in each subject. Some candidates moved the High Court, claiming that the OPSC did not initially mention this rule in the advertisement but introduced it after the written exams were completed.

The recruitment exam took place on August 27, 2022, with results declared on November 7, 2022. The High Court’s decision to uphold the merit list and allow the resumption of the selection process has now been challenged in the Supreme Court by the petitioner, Rajat Mishra. The court has set the next hearing for four weeks from now.