Cuttack, Oct. 30: The Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) has urged Orissa High Court to clear legal hurdles for evaluation of Odisha Civil Services (main) examination – 2011 answer scripts.

The commission has not been able to proceed with the evaluation process as the high court, in an order on September 3, specified “OPSC will conduct the main examination but not proceed with the evaluation of answer scripts and keep them in sealed cover until further orders”.

The main examination was held from September 6 to 30 and 5,320 candidates had taken the test. The OCS (preliminary) exam-2011 was held on January 19. Nearly 35,200 candidates took the test. Of them, 5,823 were declared qualified on May 2 to take the main examination.

The OPSC had sought intervention of the high court to conduct the main examination after the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) quashed the OCS (preliminary) Exam–2011 results on August 26 and directed the OPSC to prepare a fresh selection list within two months after eliminating faulty questions and negative marking.

Acting on it, the high court, on September 3, imposed a restriction on implementation of the SAT order and allowed OPSC to go ahead with the main examination, but clarified that it will be subject to final outcome of the petition. The division bench of Justice Pradip Mohanty and Justice Biswajit Mohanty had taken up OPSC’s plea for hearing since yesterday, along with the main petition challenging the SAT order. But the hearing is yet to be completed.

The SAT had quashed the OCS (preliminary) exam-2011 result based on petitions filed by Priyambada Das and seven other candidates, who failed to qualify for the OCS (main) exam. They had challenged the preliminary exam result declared by the OPSC claiming that the results were skewed as grace marks were given in 18 of the 26 optional subjects.

The OPSC has taken the plea before the high court that implementation of the tribunal order would cause irreparable loss and would also affect the larger interest of the public and a large number of candidates.

The OPSC’s plea has been opposed by Priyambada’s counsel on the ground that the results following grace marks in a competitive exam is “illegal” and “discriminatory” as “merit is the main criteria not grace, extra mark or excess mark”. Besides, “giving extra marks on different subjects in wrong questions is not within the domain of the OPSC”.

In its order on August 26, acting chairman of the SAT S.N. Dash said: “Any provision of grace marks for candidates is anathema to the case of a competitive examination where only the best out of a lot of candidates are to be selected. In view of above, I quash consequential action taken on that basis and direct the OPSC to calculate marks of candidates by eliminating the faulty questions and negative marking and the marks be prorated to full marks as elucidated above. They may then prepare select list of candidates on that basis for appearing at the main examination. This may be done within a period of two months.”