In a significant verdict, the Odisha High Court on Friday quashed the order of the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) which had asked the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) to prepare a fresh merit list of the OAS preliminary examinations. Adjudicating a writ petition, the High Court asked the SAT for a fresh judgement within three months.
The High Court’s order implies that its interim order of no revaluation of answer sheets stands intact. Earlier on September 3, 2014, the High Court had permitted the OPSC to conduct the Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) main examinations as per schedule on September 6 and directed that the answer scripts be kept in sealed covers without evaluation and that publication of results should be subject to the outcome of the writ petition.
The court’s directive came in response to a writ petition filed by the OPSC challenging the quashing of the merit list by the SAT and directing it to prepare a fresh merit list by deducting the grace marks given to the candidates for wrong questions. The prelims for OAS were conducted by the OPSC on January 19, 2014 with more than 35,000 candidates appearing at the examinations. As alleged, wrong questions had appeared in different subjects. Taking note of the mistakes, the OPSC allowed grace marks to the candidates for the wrong questions and prepared the merit list of about 5,823 candidates fixing the date of main examinations to September 6, 2014.
Challenging the merit list, two original applications were filed with the SAT by about eight candidates on the ground that there was no such provision for allowing grace marks in the OAS examinations. Terming the OPSC’s action as illegal, they had appealed to the SAT to quash the merit list. The SAT set aside the merit list and directed the OPSC to prepare a fresh merit list without the grace marks. The OPSC had approached the High Court challenging the order.