Odisha HC Directs OPSC To Compensate Exam Aspirant For Evaluation Lapse

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Cuttack: The Orissa High Court has directed the state's Public Service Commission to pay Rs 1 lakh as compensation to an examinee for a lapse in evaluating her answer papers in a judicial service examination. Jyotirmayee Dutta appeared for the Odisha Judicial Service Examination in September 2023. She failed to qualify for the next stage—document verification and interview—by a margin of five marks. Dutta later came to know that her answer to a question in the Law of Property paper had been left unevaluated during evaluation while the marks awarded in other questions were below her expectation.

She then approached the high court praying for re-evaluation of her answer sheet in the Law of Property paper. The court directed an independent assessment of her answer script by experts from three reputed universities in Odisha. The review confirmed that one of her answers had been overlooked, and marks to that question were subsequently awarded.

However, even after that, the total marks were insufficient for her to qualify for the next stage. A division bench comprising Justices Sangam Kumar Sahoo and Chittaranjan Dash acknowledged the distress caused by the error during the evaluation.

“Considering the mental trauma and financial burden endured by the petitioner in pursuing this case, we deem it appropriate to award Rs 1 lakh as compensation,” the bench said. The amount shall be paid by the Odisha Public Service Commission 60 days from the judgment which was delivered on Monday.

The bench said that competitive exams shape careers and involve years of rigorous preparation, financial investments, and personal sacrifices. So, "the highest level of scrutiny and quality control measures" in evaluation processes are required to prevent such lapses in the future, the court said.