Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Information Commission has directed the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) to disclose interview marks to candidates, who fail recruitment exams.
This order was issued by Chief Information Commissioner Manoj Parida in response to a petition by Minati Rani Mohapatra from Bhadrak, who was not selected for an assistant teacher position in 2002.
The selection process involved career and interview marks, but after failing, Mohapatra was only given her career marks and denied her interview scores by the OPSC. She then approached the Information Commission. The OPSC argued that no minimum marks were set for assistant teacher posts, and interview marks were not recorded, as interviews assess personality and suitability without assigning specific scores.
The Commission, however, ruled that OPSC’s refusal to share interview marks violated the RTI Act. It emphasised that candidates have a right to know their interview scores to improve future performance and understand reasons for failure.
Citing Section 22 of the RTI Act, 2005, which overrides other laws, the Commission urged the OPSC to revise its procedures and provide candidates with their recruitment exam marks.
