OPSC Can’t Recruit Engineers Through GATE Score: Orissa HC

Cuttack: An advertisement of the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) for recruitment to 391 posts of Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) on the basis of GATE scores was quashed by Orissa High Court. The petitioners had alleged that the Odisha government had brought in an amendment to Odisha Engineering Service (OES) Rules without consulting the OPSC.  Through this amendment, the Odisha government had substituted the method of selection by the OPSC on the basis of career marking, written test and vive voce by the highest GATE Score obtained in the last three years preceding the advertisement. The advertisement for recruitment by the newly amended rule was issued on March 18, 2023.

While hearing a batch of writ petitions, a division bench of Justice Subhasis Talapatra and Justice Savitri Ratho struck down the amended rule.

“In view of the fact that the advice/opinion of the OPSC has not been placed correctly before the Cabinet and a wrong statement has been made before it that the OPSC has given its concurrence to the proposed amendments, Rule 4 of the Amendment Rules which amends Rule 3 and 4 of the OES Rule 2012 is liable to be struck down. Consequently, the impugned advertisement having prescribed the highest valid GATE scores of the preceding three years to be the basis of selection is also liable to be quashed,” Justice Savitri Ratho said in the 103-page judgment.