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| Orissa High Court |
Cuttack, May 15: Orissa High Court has directed the state government to appoint the socially and economically backward classes (SEBC) category candidates, who had been recruited in excess of quota reserved for them during recruitment of police constables and sepoys in the state five years ago.
The high court yesterday ordered recruitment of over 400 SEBC category employees against existing vacancies.
In December 2006, the state government had filled up 2,605 vacancies in the rank of sepoys in the State Armed Police Battalions and Constables in different districts. Appointments of the SEBC candidates were made against 27 per cent of the posts instead of 11.25 per cent quota meant for them.
Dispute was raised before the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) by over a hundred job applicants in the general category. They challenged the recruitment process as it had deprived general candidates of employment opportunity by using unreserved vacancies for job aspirants in the reserved category.
In September 2007, the SAT invalidated the recruitment process and directed the government to redraw a fresh selection list without diverting unreserved posts for appointment of candidates in the reserved category in excess of quota.
The tribunal, however, allowed those appointed in excess of quota “to continue on such ad hoc appointment until their regularisation against a future vacancy”. Subsequently, the SAT orders were challenged in the high court.
On December 15 last year, the high court treated the tribunal order as illegal and quashed the appointment made in the SEBC category beyond the 11.25 per cent quota meant for them and ordered for redrawing of fresh merit list to fill up the unreserved posts that were diverted for the purpose.
The ruling was applicable for the 15.75 per cent excess quota appointment that the tribunal had allowed to continue as ad hoc appointment.
The dispute returned to the high court last month when a contempt petition was filed alleging non-compliance of the high court direction.
