Odisha: OPSC Plans To Withdraw Names Of 11 Dental Surgeons, Know Why?

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) would withdraw names of 11 candidates, who are currently serving as dental surgeons in the state based on its recommendations.

The names were recommended after the recruitment tests were conducted in 2018-19.

Earlier, the court had directed the chairman of OPSC to call a meeting and decide what to do with persons of lower merit working as dental surgeons.

Accordingly, advocate Bibhu Prasad Tripathy, who is representing OPSC, submitted an affidavit that contains the names of 11 such candidates.

The division bench of Chief Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh and Justice Savitri Ratho fixed September 26 as the date for final hearing in the case.

What’s the controversy?

The OPSC had invited applications for 198 dental surgeons in group-A (junior) of Odisha Medical Services (Dental) cadre posts on March 17, 2018. The written examination with objective type questions was held on May 6, 2018. Later, OPSC issued a notice, in which appointment of 171 candidates was recommended on August 9, 2018.

But, a controversy arose after some of the unsuccessful candidates questioned their non-selection. They questioned their non-selection on various grounds, including incorrect key answers. Thereafter, an expert committee was constituted to revisit the key answers.

The committee submitted its report on October 5, 2018, and indicated that 12 answers were incorrect. The expert committee also suggested revaluation, which found that 11 of the candidates—who were presently working as dental surgeons— scored below the revised cut-off marks.