Odisha Govt seeks details on cancellation, postponement of recruitment exams

BHUBANESWAR : The Odisha government has sought detailed reports from all departments and agencies on cancellation of recruitment examinations, even as opposition parties alleged that 16 such tests were cancelled after the BJP came to power in the state. The BJD and Congress alleged that as many as 16 recruitment examinations were either postponed or cancelled in a span of 15 months since the BJP government came to power in the state in June 2024.

The action came after chief secretary Manoj Ahuja held a meeting with top officials on the alleged sabotage in the Police Sub-Inspector written examination on September 30 was postponed and is now scheduled to be held on October 5 and 6. This particular examination has been postponed thrice since notification was issued for recruitment of 933 SI posts in January this year. The recent postponement of the SI written examination was done after the arrest of 117 people, including 114 aspiring candidates in Berhampur.

The General Administration and Public Grievance Department on October 4, sent a letter to all government departments and recruitment agencies seeking a detailed report of cancellation and postponement of examinations. Additional Secretary of General Administration & Public Grievance Department, Debabrata Mallick on Saturday wrote letter to Odisha Public Service Commission ( OPSC ), Odisha Staff Selection Commission ( OSSC ), Odisha Subordinate Staff Selection Commission (OSSSC), State Selection Board (Higher Education), Odisha Police Recruitment Boards, and other related bodies to provide a comprehensive report listing all cancelled recruitment examinations.

The letter specifies that comprehensive information on all recruitment exams cancelled from June 2024 onwards must be compiled in a prescribed format. Following the recent postponement of the SI written examination by the Odisha Police Recruitment Board (OPRB), Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik expressed shock and said, "This marks the fourth recruitment examination scrapped since July amid allegations of malpractice and question paper leaks."

Paper leaks

The BJD president said that while the Special Odisha Teacher Eligibility Test (OTET) 2025 was cancelled hours before commencement after a paper leak triggered widespread outrage on July 20, 2025, the Odisha Subordinate Staff Selection Commission (OSSSC) cancelled its Combined Recruitment Examination (for RI, ARI, Amin, ICDS Supervisor, SFS) on July 30–31. This was scheduled between August 1 and September 4, citing irregularities in the preliminary process, Patnaik said.

On August 22, the rescheduled Special OTET 2025 was also postponed again, with the Board of Secondary Education citing "unavoidable circumstances," leaving aspirants frustrated, he said. "These repeated disruptions highlight a troubling pattern in Odisha’s recruitment system, undermining trust and affecting lakhs of job seekers across the state," Patnaik said.