Under mounting criticism for botching up Kannada translations in the Gazetted Probationers' examination, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced re-exams would be conducted within two months. The Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) is under fire for translation errors in the Kannada version of the examination, leaving aspirants confused. The examination was held on August 27 to fill 350 gazetted probationary officer posts.
In a statement on social media on Monday, September 2, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah confirmed that the re-examination would be conducted within two months. He also said that those responsible for the translation errors had been relieved of their duties. "I have directed KPSC to reconduct the examination within 2 months to ensure fairness to all candidates. Those responsible for these lapses have been relieved of their duties. The upcoming examination will be conducted with the utmost responsibility and accountability, following all due diligence," Siddaramaiah stated.
The decision has been welcomed by the Karnataka State Competitive Examination Aspirants Association (KSCEAA), which thanked the Chief Minister for addressing their demands for a re-examination. The Karnataka Rakshana Vedike president, TA Narayan Gowda, had said that more than 60 questions in the 400-mark question paper contained significant errors in Kannada translations, causing confusion among candidates.
The KPSC faced criticism for the poor translation of questions from English to Kannada in the recently held preliminary examination. Allegations arose that the Commission had used Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools or Google Translate for the translation, leading to incomprehensible questions for many candidates. Of the 1.3 lakh aspirants who took the examination, over one lakh came from Kannada-medium education and rural backgrounds.
The Kannada Development Authority (KDA) also took note of the translation issues and served a notice to KPSC. In response, the KPSC denied using any technology for the translation and stated that the task was carried out by translators assigned by the translation wing at the Commission. The preliminary examination held on August 27 was controversial even before it took place, with a group of aspirants calling for a postponement as they wanted more time to prepare for the exams. However, the state government decided to proceed with the exam as scheduled, despite these concerns.