Balangir: The Supreme Court has upheld Orissa High Court's verdict that the state government's decision to cancel the recruitment of revenue inspectors and amins was legal because the existence of a scam had been proved.

With this, the hopes of the 166 revenue inspectors and amins, who had lost their jobs after cancellation of the recruitment, fade. The ousted employees had moved the Supreme Court against the high court's verdict.

The main accused of the scam, the former collector and Balangir district magistrate Debaraj Mishra was suspended from his job in Bhubaneswar. In November 2014, he was arrested and sent to jail in Balangir. While it comes as shock to those, who had already got appointment, the deserving ones who had been fighting for justice have welcomed the verdict of the apex court.

Sudhir Sandh, a candidate, who had taken the test for post of amin, said the Supreme Court's verdict was final and the issue had come to its logical end.

He said: "This is a welcome verdict by the apex court. Now the district administration should act and ensure that fresh recruitment is conducted and deserving candidates are given jobs."

RTI activist Nilamani Joshi said he had sought information on 27 candidates and from the information provided, he found there was gross irregularities in the conduct of the test.

"Most of the papers were overwritten and scratched. Answers were changed. Many had secured 100 out of 100 in mathematics without any rough work. People securing zero in the computer theory paper had been given the appointments," Joshi said, adding that a lot of money was involved in the appointments and many meritorious and genuine candidates had been left out.