The Odisha High Court concluded the hearing on Wednesday regarding pleas alleging irregularities in the junior teacher recruitment case and reserved its interim order.
The dispute revolves around the process adopted by the Odisha School Education Program Authority (OSEPA) for the final selection of junior teachers in primary and upper primary schools across the state.
The court had previously adjourned further hearing on the matter and, after considering arguments from both parties, reserved its decision.
A notification for the recruitment of approximately 20,000 junior teachers in Odisha was issued on October 23, 2023. Subsequently, some candidates raised concerns about irregularities in the recruitment process, leading to the High Court’s involvement.
The Court had earlier directed the Odisha government to suspend the final selection process and appointment of Junior Teachers pending further hearings after an initial hearing on January 19.
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In Junior Teacher Recruitment Case, The petitioners argued that the selection list should be prepared district-wise, presenting the first district-preference list during the recent hearing. The Court sought clarification on this matter, and the hearing concluded with the interim order being extended.
Petitioners’ lawyer Sameer Kumar Das explained, “Their argument was it is a merit-based selection and it has not been done on the basis of districts.
But our argument was – if the resolution says it should be district-based, then you have to confine it to the district only. On that basis, the hearing was closed, and the interim order was extended.”