The Government of Odisha has officially constituted a dedicated Commission to examine the proportion and political backwardness of Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) across rural and urban local bodies.
The notification, issued by the ST & SC Development, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare Department on October 7, 2026, follows the directions of the Constitutional Bench of the Hon’ble Supreme Court in the landmark case of K. Krishnamurthy and Others Vs. Union of India and Others.
Leadership and Composition
The newly formed commission will be chaired by Justice Pramath Patnaik (Retd.), former Judge of the High Court of Orissa. The panel includes:
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Bijay Kumar Prusty (Retd. IAS) as Member.
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Soojata Misra (OAS – SS), Special Secretary to the Government in the ST & SC Development, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare Department, serving as the Member Secretary.
Terms of Reference
The commission has been tasked with two primary objectives to ensure equitable representation:
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To ascertain the rural and urban local body-wise proportion of the population of SEBC citizens relative to the total population, utilising available records, reports, and empirical surveys.
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To conduct a contemporaneous empirical inquiry into the nature and implications of the political backwardness of SEBCs regarding their political representation in the State’s local bodies.
The panel is mandated to complete its exhaustive inquiry and submit its comprehensive report along with recommendations to the State Government within three months.
