OPSC Chairman Refutes Allegation Of Irregularities In ASO Exam In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Amid a raging controversy over the Assistant Section Officer (ASO) recruitment examination conducted by Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC), its Chairman Satyajit Mohanty on Tuesday refuted all the allegations levelled by the aspirants as false and baseless.

“OPSC follows a fair and transparent policy in the selection of candidates. A rickshaw puller’s daughter, a newspaper hawker’s son, and daily labourer’s son previously cracked the ASO examination securing good marks. Had there been any irregularities, the students would not have cleared the examinations,” said Mohanty in a press meet.

He said the mark sheet and answers will be uploaded only after the final result following the High Court’s directive. ” Merit is the only criterion. OPSC has been following it,” he said.

Notably, the current exam had a minimum qualifying mark of 40% for general category and 30% for SEBC/SC/ST.

It is pertinent to mention here the ASO aspirants knocked the door of the Orissa High Court alleging irregularities in the selection process of the ASO examination conducted by OPSC. They even alleged that each post has been sold off for Rs 15 to Rs 20 lakh.

However, the High Court refused to intervene in the matter and ordered the government recruiting body to publish the marks of all the candidates who appeared in the examination.

Before moving the High Court, a large number of aspirants had staged a demonstration outside OPSC office on November 10. The agitators claimed that the Commission should also reveal the method of selection for successful candidates and that the whole process should be done in a transparent manner. They had also said that Chief Minister should direct OPSC Chairman to look into the matter.

The OPSC issued the list of 1,104 successful candidates in the ASO Exam-2022 on November 7.