Orissa High Court seeks OAS Exam Every Year

The Orissa High Court expressed its displeasure over the irregularities in holding the Odisha Administrative Services (OAS). The court also directed the state government to ensure that the OAS examination to be held regularly for recruiting administrative officers in the state. It is noteworthy that, Odisha Public Services Commission (OPSC) had conducted OAS -2011 preliminary examinations in January 2014 and main examination in September 2014; advertisement was issued in October 2011 for the recruitment of administrative posts vacancies created in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010.

It is reported that wrong questions were being given in the OAS -2011 preliminary examinations held in January 2014. And, OPSC has given grace marks to candidates and prepared merit list for the main examination that was held on September 6, 2014. The merit list for the final examination was quashed by the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) following complaints filed by some aspirants over grace marks provision.

OPSC challenged the SAT’s move in Orissa High Court. The HC Bench comprising justices Pradeep K Mohanty and Biswajit Mohanty, hearing a petition filed by the OPSC, set aside the SAT’s order – quashing the merit list and asking for a fresh merit list. The Bench directed SAT to adjudicate the matter in its division bench and compete it within three months. Out of 50,000 aspirants, OPSC selected 5,823 aspirants in the preliminary examination and around 3,000 appeared for the OAS main examination held in September 2014.