Bhubaneswar: The Odisha State Public Universities (Reservation in Teachers’ Cadre) Act, 2026, officially came into force on Monday following the assent of Governor and Chancellor of Universities Dr Hari Babu Kambhampati.
The legislation, which evolved from an earlier ordinance promulgated in January 2026, aims to bring uniformity and equity to faculty recruitment in state public universities. It follows the March 31 passage of the corresponding bill in the Odisha Assembly after a marathon late-night debate lasting four hours. It was cleared despite opposition calls to refer it to a select committee.
Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj welcomed the development, hailing the Act as a transformative step toward ensuring adequate representation for Scheduled Tribes (ST), Scheduled Castes (SC), and Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) in teaching positions. He expressed gratitude to the Governor for his prompt approval.
A core feature of the new law is the shift from the previous department-wise reservation model to treating each university as a single unit for implementing quotas in direct recruitment of faculty. This change applies to positions of Professors, Associate Professors, and Assistant Professors, aiming to create a transparent, and equitable process while adhering to the Supreme Court’s 50% ceiling on reservations.
The Minister added with the implementation of the Odisha Universities (Amendment) Act, 2024, and the Odisha State Public Universities (Reservation in Teachers’ Cadre) Act, 2026, the process of filling vacant teaching positions in state public universities will be expedited.
Earlier this month, Governor Kambhampati appointed senior academicians as Vice-Chancellors for 14 public universities, including Utkal University, Ravenshaw University, Fakir Mohan University, and others.
