Cuttack, Aug. 16: Orissa High Court has directed the state government to regularise services of the socially and educationally backward class (SEBC) employees, who were appointed in excess of quota reserved for them during recruitment of police constables and sepoys over five years ago.

The court issued the direction on Tuesday on a batch of petitions filed by the SEBC employees seeking protection of their service following a high court ruling issued on December 15, 2011.

The division bench of Justice B.P. Das and Justice B.K. Nayak said the regularisation process would be undertaken against existing vacancies after recasting the merit list, which was prepared for the recruitment of police constables and sepoys on December 2006.

The court expected the government to redraw the merit list by including unreserved category candidates against the vacancies following exclusion of the 773 SEBC employees, who have continued on ad hoc appointment, recruited in excess quota. The government said 10,000 posts of constables and sepoys were vacant.

The same bench had quashed the appointment made in the SEBC category beyond the 11.25 per cent quota meant for them and directed for redrawing of fresh merit list to fill the unreserved posts that were diverted for the purpose.

The ruling was given while treating as illegal the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT)’s order that had allowed the 15.75 per cent excess quota appointment to continue as ad hoc appointment.

Later, when petitions were filed alleging non-compliance of order the state government informed the court that a committee has been constituted to address the issue of the ad hoc appointments.

Taking note of it, the bench on May 14 asked for compliance of the order while clarifying that the ad hoc appointments could not be terminated and directing the state government to appoint them against the vacant posts.