Do not reveal candidates' caste to interview panel: Delhi Minister tells UPSC Commission

Are the interviews conducted by the Union Public Service Commission Discriminatory? A letter by a Delhi minister to the commission's chairman suggests so.

In his letter addressed to the UPSC Chairman Dr Pradeep Kumar Joshi, Rajendra Pal Gautam, Delhi's Minister for SC/ST and Social Welfare said that he had received a number of representations from UPSC candidates belonging to reserved categories, alleging that they had faced discrimination during UPSC interviews. "I would like to invite your kind attention to the number of representations received by me from candidates of the reserved communities who appear in various job interviews conducted by the UPSC. Many of these candidates have alleged that there is systematic discrimination in awarding marks of interviews to reserved category candidates," reads the letter sent on Friday.

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The letter also says that a lot of these candidates have alleged that the interview members know of their castes beforehand and that discrimination can be eliminated if the details about the same are not provided to the interview board members. According to Gautam, they also suggest that the interviewees are chosen randomly instead of clubbing reserved and general candidates separately. "Such actions will ensure a level playing field in the interview for all candidates," says the letter.

Earlier this year, a union government committee, formed to check discrimination during the UPSC interviews too had suggested not to reveal caste surnames or social and religious backgrounds of candidates to the interview panel.