Can’t hold KPSC civil services re-exam unless court directs us: CM Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said the re-examination for Karnataka Civil Services-2023-24 cannot be conducted unless the court gives any such instruction.

The Karnataka Public Service Commission had conducted the exam in May 2024. Due to wrong translations of questions in Kannada, the re-exam was held where again the mistakes were found in the translations.

Based on an expert committee report, the Karnataka government decided to give grace marks to the candidates and hold the mains examination. However, a few candidates approached the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal (KAT), which had stayed the mains examination.

According to Siddaramaiah, the KAT has not given its order yet on whether to hold the prelims again or go ahead to conduct the mains examination.

"It is not possible to give instructions to conduct a re-examination now. The matter is in court. We will conduct re-examination if the court gives any such direction," Siddaramaiah told the Assembly.

He was replying to the opposition’s allegations about bungling in conducting smooth civil services exams.

The chief minister accepted in the House that irregularities had taken place in the KPSC civil services examinations.

"Leader of Opposition R Ashoka has called it an ailing institution. I don’t deny your allegation or dispute the words used by you because we have witnessed several instances of people approaching court or KAT, but you did not give proper suggestions for it," the CM said.

He added that the government wants the functioning of KPSC to improve because upright and efficient officers should be appointed.

"The KPSC officers should not succumb to corruption. Corruption should be uprooted from the KPSC. Appointment through corrupt means is not good. I too condemn it," Siddaramaiah noted.

He said the government is ready to do whatever is possible within its limits.

Noting that presently there are 16 members in the KPSC, Siddaramaiah said in the coming days, the government will seriously consider reducing the number of board members.

He also pointed out that there was a practice of setting the question paper in English, which was then translated into Kannada, that led to the goof-up of the flawed question paper.

"I have directed officials to first prepare a question paper in Kannada and then translate it into English," the chief minister told the House.

He also said he had directed the KPSC to blacklist those who made the wrong translation.