Odisha Job Aspirants Demand Return of Waiting List System in Government Recruitment

Job aspirants in Odisha have demanded the restoration of the waiting list system in government recruitment, arguing that many advertised posts remain vacant when candidates included in the final selection list do not join.

Several aspirants have written to the Governor, Chief Minister and Chief Secretary of Odisha, seeking the reintroduction of the system.

According to the aspirants, the waiting list system was followed before 2020 in recruitment conducted by the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC), Odisha Staff Selection Commission (OSSC) and Odisha Sub-ordinate Staff Selection Commission (OSSSC).

Under the earlier system, when a candidate selected in the final list did not join, an eligible candidate from the waiting list could be considered for appointment according to merit and applicable rules. Aspirants say this helped fill more notified vacancies while also providing opportunities to candidates next in line.

They claim that after the system was discontinued, vacancies are often left unfilled when selected candidates do not take up their posts.

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What Is a Waiting List?

A waiting list, also known as a reserve list or reserve panel, generally consists of eligible candidates placed immediately below those included in the main selection list.

If a selected candidate does not join, resigns within the period covered by the recruitment rules, or if a vacancy otherwise becomes available under the applicable rules, a candidate from the waiting or reserve list may be considered for appointment.

However, inclusion in a waiting list does not automatically guarantee a government job. Its operation depends on the recruitment rules, validity period, number of vacancies and decisions of the competent authority.

The practice is not unfamiliar in public recruitment in India. The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) uses reserve lists in examinations such as the Civil Services Examination and has published lists of additional qualified candidates from its reserve list.

Different recruitment bodies, however, follow different policies. The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) has stated in several recruitment notices that it generally does not maintain a waiting list or reserve panel for its multi-factor examinations. At the same time, a 2025 Delhi Police recruitment notice issued through SSC provided for a 15% reserve panel/additional list of candidates.

Rajasthan also provides an example of a state-level reserve-list framework. In a 2026 case concerning Rajasthan Public Service Commission recruitment, the Supreme Court noted that the relevant reserve list had a specified validity period of six months and clarified that inclusion in such a list does not create an automatic right to appointment after its validity expires.

Against this backdrop, Odisha job aspirants argue that a clearly defined waiting-list mechanism—with a fixed validity period and transparent rules—could help reduce the number of posts left vacant because of non-joining candidates.

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Considering the issue, Sunil Kumar Mishra, Subhrajit Sahu, Alok Rath and Shradhanjali Mishra, along with several other aspirants, have urged the state government to restore the waiting list system for recruitment examinations conducted by OPSC, OSSC, OSSSC and other recruiting agencies.

They have appealed to the government to consider a mechanism that would allow vacancies arising from non-joining candidates to be filled from a waiting list, subject to merit, reservation rules and a clearly defined validity period.