CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has sought a response from the state government over the vacancies in the Odisha State Commission for Backward Classes (OSCBC) which have not been filled for over two years.
The PIL was filed in this regard by High Court lawyer and human rights activist Prabir Kumar Das on Wednesday. As per the PIL, the posts of chairperson and three members of the commission have been lying vacant since February 1, 2024, following the completion of the previous members’ three-year tenure. He contended that the state government has failed to take any steps to fill these positions.
Additional government advocate Sanjiv Kumar Swain sought time to take instructions from the government on the matter. The division bench comprising Chief Justice Harish Tandon and Justice MS Raman granted time till May 6 for the same.
The petition has named the chief secretary of Odisha, the commissioner and secretary of the Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare Development department, and the member secretary of OSCBC as parties in the case. The matter is expected to be taken up for hearing on May 6. As per the statutory provisions, the chairperson is to be appointed from among former high court judges, while the three-member panel must include a social scientist and two representatives from backward classes.
The PIL noted that Odisha is home to 216 socially and educationally backward classes (SEBC) communities that continue to face challenges in accessing equitable opportunities in education, employment and welfare schemes. “In the absence of a functioning commission, these communities are deprived of a statutory forum to voice their concerns and seek redressal,” the petition stated.
Describing the situation as detrimental to the principles of social justice, Das urged the court to direct the state to immediately initiate the appointment process.