Odisha: OPSC rejects allegations of irregularities in ASO exam

Cuttack: The Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) has rejected allegations of irregularities in the Assistant Section Officer (ASO) Examination-2022.

“The Public Service Commission follows a fair and transparent policy in selection of candidates. This is being followed in all examinations including the ASO recruitment exam,” said the OPSC in a press note today.

According to the OPSC, as many as 1,48,888 aspirants had appeared the written examination for 796 ASO posts on August 27 this year.

A total of 1,104 candidates have qualified in the written examination, the results of which were published on November 7. The number is 1.5 times of the vacant posts, said the OPSC.

“The Commission while preparing the provisional list of candidates for document verification and skill test followed the provision stipulated Para-6(C) of the advertisement. Accordingly, the minimum qualifying marks have been fixed for different category of candidates for the three papers of the written examination,” read the press note.

The OPSC further claimed that the answer keys were validated by an expert committee with due regard to the objections/suggestions given by the candidates immediately after the examination on the basis of which the final evaluation was made.

The commission stated that there was no truth in the allegation that candidates, who were absent in the written examination, have been placed in the merit list.

“As per the existing policy, the commission releases the answer keys, cut-off marks and individual candidate’s mark in its website after publication of the final results. This policy would also be followed in case of the ASO recruitment exam,” said the OPSC.

Earlier, around 300 aspirants staged a dharna in front of the OPSC office here alleging irregularities in the ASO examination-2022 and sought personal intervention of OPSC chairman Satyajit Mohanty into the issue.

The agitators have alleged that some candidates, who did not sit for the ASO examination-2022, have been placed in the merit list. Besides, the OPSC is yet to release the mark sheets of candidates, the cut-off mark and the answer key to the recruitment exam, they alleged.