During the regime of the then Chief Minister Biju Patnaik, a special law was enacted providing one-third reservation for women in public service, which now has been allegedly violated in the State.
Allegations have been levelled against the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) for not following the reservation rule, for which women candidates are deprived of getting Government jobs, sources said.
An aspirant, Swati Mishra, has brought such an allegation and filed a court case against the OPSC and the Government seeking justice.
Sources said the OPSC had published an advertisement for filling up 682 Assistant Executive Engineer posts in the Departments of Urban Development, Water Resources and Public Works.
Although the number of reservations for women candidates was sufficient in the unreserved category, several women are likely to get no opportunity to join service due to alleged violation of the reservation law.
The future of appointment of the woman candidate depends on the verdict of the court if two-bench judges in the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) appoint anyone on the basis of eligibility set by the OPSC.
If the petitioner wins the case, other candidates, who would have been appointed by the OPSC in violation of law, would lose their jobs, sources said. In this regard, the SAT has served notices to the Chief Secretary, the OPSC and the Water Resources Department asking for their responses.
Notably, despite the special law of 1994 providing one-third reservation for women in public service, women’s quota in Government services has not reached 20 per cent so far.