Cuttack: The Orissa High Court today rejected review and writ petitions filed in connection with the alleged irregularities in conduct of Assistant Section Officer (ASO) recruitment examination.

The court also upheld its previous order regarding publication of fresh merit list.

In May, the Orissa High Court had scrapped the merit list of the examination conducted by the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) for recruitment of 796 Assistant Section Officers.

The court had ordered the commission to publish fresh merit list within two months on the basis of marks obtained by candidates in the written examination.

The recruitment exam was conducted on 27 August 2022 while the results were declared on 7 November 2022.

According to reports, the controversy centers around the introduction of ‘qualification mark rule’ by the OPSC during the process of determining the merit list. The new rule requires candidates to attain a minimum score in each subject, known as the sectional cut-off.

Applicants have raised complaints stating that the OPSC did not mention the new qualifying mark rule in its initial advertisement and instead introduced it after the completion of the written exams.