Cuttack: Modifying its May 1 order, the Orissa High Court on Tuesday lifted the interim stay on recruitment of 7483 nursing officers.
The HC said the appointments will be subject to the final outcome of the three separate petitions challenging the advertisements issued by the OSSC and OSSSC on December 31, 2022 and January 21, 2023 respectively for appointment of 7,483 nursing officers and 189 staff nurses, pharmacists and laboratory technicians.
Pharmacists and paramedics applicants have sought preference in the recruitment process as COVID Warriors.
It further directed Odisha Staff Selection Commission (OSSC) and Odisha Sub-Ordinate Staff Selection Commission (OSSSC) to communicate it to the selected persons by mentioning such fact in their appointment letters in the event they go ahead with issuing the same.
The OSSSC had invited online applications from eligible candidates for filling up 7483 Nursing Officer posts in 30 district establishments and 13 Medical colleges and hospitals. The exam was conducted on March 19. The state government had also sent requisites to the OSSSC for the recruitment of 1,002 pharmacists, 921 laboratory technicians and 378 radiographers in different government hospitals and medical colleges.
Hearing the plea of pharmacists and para-medics, Justice A K Mohapatra on May 1 imposed restrictions on the finalization of recruitment without the court’s permission while allowing the recruitment process to continue. Following which, the aspiring nursing officers filed a petition before the court, requesting it to reconsider the decision.
The petitioners urged the HC to separate nursing officers’ post from the plea of COVID warriors and allow their recruitment as per merit since the delay in their appointment had paralysed healthcare in the medical college and other hospital, lawyer Satyabrata Mohanty told the media.
“The state government also supported our argument,” he added.
Justice Mohapatra also appreciated the advocate general AK Parija’s assurance that while filling up the vacancies pursuant to advertisements, 16 vacancies befitting the qualification and experience of the petitioners shall not be filled up till a final decision is taken in the writ petitions.
