CUTTACK: Two years after advising the state government “not to unsettle the settled position” following revision in merit list for appointment of dental surgeons in 2019, the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) on Thursday filed in the Orissa High Court an application seeking permission to recall the advice.
The court was hearing OPSC’s writ appeal challenging the single judge’s February 23, 2022 order to revise merit list on the basis of the report of an expert committee.
After revision of merit list, six candidates who scored more than the cut-off marks were found to have not been recommended, but 11 candidates with score less than cut-off marks were appointed as per pre-revised merit list and are working as dental surgeons since 2019.
Faced with a piquant situation, the OPSC had on November 4, 2022 conveyed its advice to the government “not to unsettle the settled position” and at the same time, the revised merit list of 171 candidates was also sent to it.
The OPSC through its counsel Bibhu Prasad Tripathy first informed compliance of the court’s November 25 direction to put in its official website the revised merit list and submitted the application seeking permission to recall the November 4, 2022 advice to the state government. OPSC secretary Satyabrata Ray was present in court in person.
Taking the application on record, the division bench of Chief Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh fixed December 16 as next date for consideration of the matter.