CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Thursday sought the personal appearance of Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) secretary Satyabrata Ray in connection with recruitment of dental surgeons in Group-A (junior) category of Odisha Medical Services (Dental) cadre posts.
The court issued the direction while hearing the writ appeal filed by OPSC challenging the order issued by a single judge on February 23, 2022, to revise merit list on the basis of the report of the expert committee constituted to revisit the answers.
In its report, the expert committee had noted that 12 answers were incorrect.
The division bench of Chief Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh and Justice Savitri Ratho said, “We are not satisfied with the manner in which the OPSC has conducted the proceedings in the present case. We are still not aware as to what is the revised merit list based on the examination conducted for recruitment of dental surgeons. Let the OPSC secretary be personally present in court on Monday (November 25).” The bench issued the order as the OPSC counsel despite repeated orders failed to submit the revised merit list.
According to the case records, the OPSC had invited applications for 198 posts of dental surgeons through an advertisement on March 17, 2018. The written examination was conducted on May 6, 2018. Subsequently, OPSC recommended to the government 171 candidates for appointment on August 9, 2018.
After some of the unsuccessful candidates questioned their non-selection on various grounds including incorrect answers, the OPSC formed the expert committee which submitted its report on October 5, 2018.
Accordingly, the marks secured by candidates including those recommended for appointment were revised pursuant to the high court’s February 23, 2022 order. But OPSC filed a writ appeal challenging the single judge’s order on May 16, 2024.
Subsequently, OPSC admitted in the high court that because of the revaluation based on the answers suggested by the expert committee, some of the candidates having scored less marks are working against the post advertised whereas candidates found to have scored more marks have not been recommended.