IN THE HIGH COURT OF ORISSA AT CUTTACK W.P.(C) No.22835 of 2018 Snigdharani Subudhi …. Petitioner Mr. B.K. Parida, Advocate -versus- State of Odisha & others …. Opp. Parties Mr. J. K. Khandayatray, AGA CORAM: THE HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE CHITTARANJAN DASH Order No. ORDER 06.03.2026 01. 1. Heard learned counsel for the Parties. 2. By means of this application, the Petitioner has challenged the rejection of her candidature for engagement as Sikshya Sahayak pursuant to Advertisement No. 9836 dated 01.12.2017 on the ground of over-age and seeks a direction to the opposite parties to consider her candidature by treating the upper age limit as 42 years. 3. The case record reveals that the Petitioner, whose date of birth is 08.09.1979, had applied pursuant to the said advertisement. The advertisement, issued in terms of the Government Resolution dated 26.12.2016, prescribed the upper age limit of 32 years. On the relevant date, the Petitioner had admittedly crossed the said age limit, and her candidature was accordingly rejected. 4. The eligibility conditions prescribed in a recruitment advertisement, including the age limit, are binding on the candidates as well as the recruiting authority. Once the recruitment process was initiated on the basis of the notified criteria, the authorities were required to adhere to the same. The Petitioner, having admittedly crossed the prescribed upper age limit, cannot seek a direction from this Court to alter the eligibility condition. Granting such relief would effectively require the Court to override the age ceiling fixed under the governing policy for the recruitment in question, which is impermissible in exercise of jurisdiction under Articles 226 and 227 of the Constitution of India. In the absence of any challenge to the validity of the governing policy or statutory framework, no direction can be issued to treat the upper age limit as 42 years for the recruitment in question. 5. Accordingly, the Writ Petition stands dismissed. (Chittaranjan Dash) Judge Bijay Designation: Junior Stenographer