In a move that will disturb the post-based principle settled by the Supreme Court in 1995, the State Government is going to consider the case of Section Officers belonging to reserved category for promotion to the rank of Desk Officers against unreserved vacancies.A meeting of the Department Promotion Committee (DPC) is scheduled to meet here on Friday under the chairmanship of Home Secretary to consider the promotion of Section Officers working in different departments for filling up of around 300 posts of Desk Officers lying vacant.
The Section Officers belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC) and initially selected under rules of reservation have been demanding promotion against unreserved vacancy with a plea of their higher position in the inter-se-seniority list.Informed sources in the Government said, the Home department is considering the case in their favour even knowing well that there is no such provision either under the Odisha Reservation of Vacancies (ORV) Act or the rules framed thereof to give such promotion.
In a similar case, some scheduled category employees had made representation to the State Government in 2010 for promotion of Desk Officers to the rank of Deputy Secretary against vacancies in unreserved category. However, their request was turned down by the Government.
The Law department observed, “The Government has to apply the cadre strength as a unit in the operation of roster in order to ascertain whether a class/group is adequately represented in the service. The cadre strength as unit also ensures that upper ceiling limit of 50 per cent is not violated.”The move of the Government is strongly resented by the general category employees.