Authority: High Court of Odisha, Cuttack
Order Date: 01 July 2026
Case Overview
- Petitioners: Sachhida Nanda (through counsel) filed Writ Petitions Nos.18789 & 18435 of 2026 against State of Odisha & others, challenging OPTCL's recruitment advertisement dated 19 May 2026 for Management Trainee (Electrical) via GATE 2026, which set upper age limit at 32 years.
- The Government’s Public Enterprises Department issued a communication on 12 March 2026 directing all state corporations to raise the entry‑level upper age limit to 42 years.
- Petitioners argued that OPTCL failed to incorporate this directive, depriving them of eligibility.
- OPTCL contended that the application deadline of 25 June 2026 had passed and that the corporation conducts such recruitments annually since 2020, so the petitioners were ineligible.
Final Outcome
- The Court declined to allow retroactive entry for the current recruitment.
- It directed the petitioners to file an appropriate application seeking enhancement of the upper age limit to 42 years within two weeks of the order.
- OPTCL was ordered to consider the application and communicate its decision within six weeks of receipt.
- If OPTCL decides to raise the limit, the petitioners may participate in the next recruitment cycle.
- Both writ petitions were disposed of.
Topics: Recruitment, Age Limit, Judicial Order