The Orissa High Court has cancelled the Assistant Section Officer (ASO) main examination conducted on July 13, citing concerns over the fairness and integrity of the recruitment process.
In a notification issued on Wednesday, Registrar (Examination) S.K. Dash Ray announced that a fresh main examination will be held on December 7, 2025, for all candidates who had qualified in the preliminary test.
Why the Exam Was Cancelled
The ASO recruitment process includes four stages — Preliminary, Main Written Test, Computer Application Test, and Viva Voce.
The preliminary exam was held on May 4 through an external agency, where 7,113 candidates successfully qualified for the mains.
However, after reviewing the conduct of the July 13 main examination, the High Court expressed “serious doubts” regarding the agency’s handling of the test.
“To ensure complete fairness and transparency in the recruitment process, the earlier main written examination has been cancelled and will be held afresh,” the notification stated.
New Exam Date and Pattern
The revised ASO main examination will be conducted on December 7, 2025, in three sittings, covering the following subjects:
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English
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General Awareness & Reasoning
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Mathematics
Candidates who had qualified in the preliminary exam are eligible to appear in the re-conducted main examination.
E-Admit Card and Important Dates
Candidates can download their e-admit cards from the Orissa High Court’s recruitment portal between November 17 and December 5, 2025.
The Court has urged applicants to carefully follow the updated instructions and check the portal regularly for any additional updates.
The cancellation follows a series of scrutiny measures by the Orissa High Court amid reports of irregularities in recruitment examinations across various departments. The decision aims to uphold transparency and equal opportunity for all candidates.
The High Court reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining merit-based recruitment and restoring public trust in institutional examinations.
