OAS prelim merit list trashed by Odisha State Administrative Tribunal

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Cuttack, Aug 27:

The OAS Mains examinations scheduled to be held on September 6 has now been pushed into uncertainty after the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) cancelled the merit list prepared on the basis of the results of Odisha Administrative Service (OAS)-2011 preliminary examinations and asked Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) to prepare a fresh merit list.

The SAT on Tuesday passed the order while adjudicating  two petitions challenging the publication of merit list for the OAS-2011 preliminary examinations over the award of grace marks.

The manner in which OPSC has awarded grace marks for wrong questions in preliminary examinations is not acceptable, ruled S N Das, working chairman SAT. The Tribunal ordered the OPSC authorities to publish a fresh merit list of candidates within next two months based on pro rata evaluation.

The SAT , which had conducted a hearing on the two petitions filed by Priyambada Das and others, pronounced its verdict on Tuesday

Petitioner Priyambada Das had approached the Odisha High Court since the SAT had not issued any interim orders for the OAS Mains examinations scheduled for September 6. The High Court, after conducting a hearing, had directed SAT to adjudicate the matter and pronounce its verdict latest by August 28.

As per the SAT’s directives OPSC authorities will now be required to go for a fresh evaluation of the answer sheets.

Based on the percentage arrived at in the fresh evaluation, grace marks will be awarded on pro rata basis to answers for wrong questions. Earlier all candidates were awarded full marks as grace marks for answers to wrong questions.

Now candidates will get grace marks on the basis of the ratio obtained by them for their answers to correct questions which mean a candidate getting 65% marks for his/her answers to correct questions will get similar grace mark for answers to wrong questions.

This will ensure meritorious candidates get grace marks in proportion to their overall good score in the examinations.

It may be noted here that in the OAS-2011 preliminary examinations out 29 subjects there were bloopers in question papers of 19 subjects. Full marks were awarded to candidates who attempted writing answers for the wrong questions in certain subjects.

This ultimately benefited only those who had appeared in subjects which had wrong questions in the question paper at the cost of those who had chosen subjects that did not have similar problems in their question papers.

Despite Supreme Court guidelines for conducting fresh examinations in case of wrong questions in any examination, the OPSC authorities adopted the grace mark route which was challenged by the petitioners.

Senior advocate Dr Ashok Mohapatra conducted the case on behalf of the petitioners.