Made 2 recommendations on dental surgeon hiring: OPSC

Cuttack: In an affidavit filed in Orissa high court on Wednesday, the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) stated that it made two recommendations to the state govt about appointment of dental surgeons in Group-A (Junior) of Odisha Medical Services (Dental) cadre posts in 2018-19.
In the affidavit, OPSC secretary Satyabrata Ray said of the two recommendations, one was made on the basis of pre-revised cut-off marks and another after revision of cut-off marks on the basis of the expert committee report.
According to the affidavit altogether 11 candidates, whose names were earlier recommended by the commission were not coming within the revised select list prepared on the basis of the expert committee report. From the revised list, it was found that eight candidates, whose names appeared in the earlier select list and recommended by the commission are not selected in the revised select list.
“Eight candidates whose names were not found in the earlier select list are placed in the revised select list. Accordingly, the commission intimated their names to the govt in the health and family welfare department on Nov 4, 2022 for appointment,” Ray. “Due to the two recommendations, 43 candidates, who have secured more marks in post revision than the last candidate of the earlier recommendation list, could not be recommended, as they have not crossed the revised cut-off marks,” the OPSC secretary further stated.
The two-judge bench of Chief Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh and Justice Savitri Ratho said, “The state govt is under obligation to file an affidavit by Friday. It shall take into account the stand taken by OPSC in the affidavit,” the bench said. According to the case records, OPSC issued an advertisement inviting applications for 198 posts of dental surgeons on March 17, 2018. The written examination with objective type questions was conducted on May 6, 2018. OPSC issued a notice recommending appointment of 171 candidates on Aug 9, 2018.
But trouble erupted when some of the unsuccessful candidates questioned their non-selection on various grounds, including incorrect answers. Based on certain representations made by unsuccessful candidates to OPSC, an expert committee was constituted to revisit the answers. The expert committee submitted its report on Oct 5, 2018 indicating that 12 answers were incorrect.
Accordingly, the marks secured by candidates were revised pursuant to the high court’s Feb 23 order.