HC asks OPSC to issue fresh advertisement for OCS-2011 exams

Disposing of a batch of writ petitions that had challenged the quantum of reservation of posts for various cadres of Odisha Civil Services examination of 2011, the Orissa High Court today refused to interfere into it.
The court however directed the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) to come out with a fresh advertisement relaxing the age limit of candidates as the examination is now scheduled to be held after a gap of seven years.
Delivering its judgement that was kept reserved, a Division Bench of Justices M M Das and A K Rath said the quantum of reservation fixed by the state government is made in accordance to its Constitutional obligations and the court is not inclined to interfere into the same.

Following an OPSC advertisement to recruit candidates for several posts, including OAS officers, several petitions were filed in the High Court challenging the quantum of reservations of seats which have far exceeded the 50 per cent limit.
OCS examination was last held in the year 2006 and the entire selection process ended in 2010.
Slapping an interim stay earlier, the High Court had asked OPSC not to conduct the viva voce test of OCS exam-2011 without the leave of the court. The Commission was however, permitted to go ahead with the scrutiny of applications, to hold the preliminary examinations and written test of the main examination.

The December 2011 advertisement was made for recruitment to 494 posts in different categories and cadres. More than 66 per cent of these seats are earmarked for reserved category candidates, including 27 per cent for SEBC candidates.