The Odisha government clarified its stance on implementing reservation in promotions for Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Scheduled Castes (SCs), directing all departments to follow updated guidelines aligned with a Supreme Court mandate, resolving confusion over eligibility criteria while ensuring legal compliance.
In an official notification dated February 27, the ST & SC Development, Minorities, and Backward Classes Welfare Department underscored the necessity of conducting cadre-specific surveys to assess the representation of ST/SC employees before applying promotion reservation rules.
The Supreme Court’s mandate requires collecting quantifiable data to determine whether the representation of STs and SCs in specific cadres is below their proportionate population share.
The guidelines, originally introduced on May 6, 2024, will remain effective until further notice. They are applicable to all administrative departments, district collectors, and recruitment panels.
Principal Secretary Sanjeeb Kumar Mishra confirmed in the notice that the existing guidelines are legally binding amid deliberations on “complex legal issues.”
“The issues concerning reservation in promotion are currently under examination. There are certain complex legal issues under deliberation. Pending finalization, the current guideline issued by the ST & SC Development, M & BCW Department, dated May 6, 2024, shall be followed until further orders,” the notification stated.
The notification also instructed all Departments and Departmental Promotion Committees (DPCs) to adhere strictly to the current framework to maintain uniformity.
The new guidelines require departments to conduct separate surveys for each service category to identify representation gaps. Reservation in promotions will be applied only if a cadre is found to be underrepresented.
These measures align with a 2006 Supreme Court order, rectifying previous practices where blanket reservation policies were implemented without data-backed assessments.
