An oxacalix[4]arene-Ce(iii) complex viz. L-Ce(III) has been introduced for the selective detection of As(v) and Cr(vi) oxyanions in aqueous medium. The binding mode of L-Ce(III) + AsO43-/CrO42- was completely investigated with fluorometric titration, time resolve fluorescent decay and FTIR analyses. Photoinduced electron transfer (PET) and chelation-enhanced fluorescence (CHEF) play an important role in the sensing of these oxyanions. The characteristic fluorescence of the L-Ce(III) complex has been quenched by AsO43- and CrO42- through cascading the ligating sites. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) experiments with various scan rates suggest that the electrochemical processes on the electrodes were controlled by diffusion. Both the analytes exhibit a lower limit of detection (LOD) below their standard EPA permissible limits. Moreover, the probe successfully detects the oxyanions in environmental real samples with excellent recovery ranging from 97 to 101%.