OPSC Drug Inspector exam: Orissa HC restores validity of 2023 written test, clears way for final results

In a major relief for Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) aspirants, the Orissa High Court has set aside a Single Judge’s order that had quashed the written examination for the recruitment of 47 Drugs Inspector (Group B) posts conducted on 19 March 2023.

The ruling effectively reinstates the examination’s validity and clears the path for OPSC to resume the halted selection process under the Health and Family Welfare Department.

Irregularities In Paper Alleged

According to reports, the Division Bench observed that the Single Judge’s earlier decision had failed to consider the fact that candidates were provided an opportunity to raise objections to the answer keys before evaluation, which was an opportunity the petitioner, Satyabrata Samantasinghar, did not use.

Samantasinghar, who was unsuccessful in the examination, had filed a writ petition alleging irregularities in the question paper and violation of the Odisha Drugs Control Service (Methods of Recruitment and Conditions of Service) Rules, 2020.

The petitioner argued that under Rule 6(4)(c) of the Rules, OPSC was to prepare a test booklet containing 200 questions, 25 each from eight subjects.

Samantasinghar claimed that the Commission had not maintained this parity and sought the cancellation of the written examination. Accepting his contention, a Single Judge on 10 July 2024 ordered a re-test, leading to the suspension of result publication.

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Orissa HC’s Ruling

The division bench, while hearing OPSC’s appeal along with petitions from three successful candidates, held that the writ petitioner lacked locus standi to challenge the process after having accepted the conditions during the examination.

The bench also added that revisiting the examination at this stage would “unsettle the settled position” for those who had already qualified.

Accordingly, the bench allowed the appeals, quashed the Single Judge’s judgment, and dismissed the writ petition as not maintainable. The verdict now allows OPSC to proceed with the final phase of the recruitment, including document verification and personality test, for the 97 candidates (including 30 women) provisionally shortlisted in 2023.

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The decision comes months after the Odisha government appointed 46 new Drug Inspectors in June 2025, acting on an earlier High Court directive issued on 13 March 2025. Those appointments, based on prior OPSC recruitment, had filled long-pending vacancies and significantly enhanced the state’s drug regulation capacity.