Orissa High Court Overturns OSSC's Six-Year Exam Ban on 58 Junior Engineer Aspirants
In a significant ruling, the Orissa High Court has quashed an order by the Odisha Staff Selection Commission (OSSC) that barred 58 junior engineer (civil) aspirants from appearing in any of its examinations for six years. The court observed that the punishment imposed was "not just and proper" and disproportionate to the alleged misconduct.
Justice Satapathy's Landmark Judgment
Justice Biraja Prasanna Satapathy delivered this judgment on January 20, 2025, while considering a batch of 29 petitions challenging the OSSC's order dated May 12, 2025. The controversial order had barred the candidates from July 16, 2023, to July 15, 2029, and cancelled their candidature in all exams applied for during this period.
The dispute originated from the recruitment process for 1,008 posts of junior engineer (civil), which was advertised on November 2, 2022. The preliminary examination was held on June 4, 2023, followed by the written exam on July 16, 2023. On the same day, OSSC registered a case at Sahadevkhunta police station in Balasore regarding a suspected question paper leak.
Timeline of Events and Legal Scrutiny
After receiving a report from the district superintendent of police, OSSC cancelled the exam and rescheduled it for September 3, 2023. Although final results were declared on November 4, 2023, after certificate verification, the results of 58 candidates were withheld. Subsequently, these aspirants were barred from appearing in OSSC exams over their alleged role in the question paper leak.
Justice Satapathy emphasized that the petitioners "have not yet been charge-sheeted and no material have been found against them as yet" in the ongoing criminal case. The judge ruled that the debarment order was "disproportionate to the alleged misconduct of the petitioners" and accordingly quashed it, granting the candidates liberty to appear in future OSSC exams.
Conditional Revival and Future Directions
However, Justice Satapathy made it clear that the quashed order "will stand automatically revived" if any of the petitioners is charge-sheeted upon completion of the investigation. The court further directed that the results of the petitioners who appeared in the rescheduled exam on September 3, 2023, be published if they are not charge-sheeted by June 2026.
Consequential appointments are to follow for those found successful, ensuring that the candidates' careers are not unduly hampered by unproven allegations. This ruling highlights the judiciary's role in balancing administrative actions with fundamental rights, particularly in cases involving allegations of misconduct in competitive examinations.
