The All Karnataka Students and Researchers Association (AKSARA) has called for urgent government intervention in addressing alleged injustices faced by Kannada-medium rural students in the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) recruitment process.
At a press conference held today, Thursday, January 27, AKSARA representatives accused the state government of maintaining a deliberate silence despite repeated appeals from students, writers, and political leaders across party lines.
During its press conference, the association criticised the government for not taking any initiative to rectify what it described as "grave injustice" in KPSC’s recruitment system.
“We held a press conference to seek a response from the government. Despite receiving several letters from major writers of Karnataka, ruling party members, and opposition leaders, and witnessing two protests related to this issue, the government has remained silent. We are expecting a response. If not, we will escalate the matter to the President of India and request intervention to resolve the issue. This is about questioning the integrity of KPSC and the government's response," said Lokesh Ram, State Working President of AKSARA.
The press conference was led by AKSARA Founder Vinay Kumar GB, State Director Santosh Maroor, Working President Lokesh Ram, and Organisational Secretary Pawan Maharaj.
The association reiterated its demands for transparency in KPSC recruitment, urging the government to implement the recommendations of the Hota Committee Report Civil Service Reforms.
“We urge the government to implement the recommendations of the Hota Committee Report to ensure transparency in recruitment. Recruitment must be conducted regularly, with annual notifications based on vacancies, and the process should be completed within a stipulated time frame. Additionally, Kannada translation should be incorporated within the KPSC department,” Lokesh Ram told EdexLive.
AKSARA also called for the formation of a reforms committee to address these concerns.
The proposed committee, according to the association, should be led by a former justice and include former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers, student representatives, a translation team, and government officials.
“We, too, are victims of the inefficiencies created by the government and KPSC. Therefore, we demand the formation of a reforms committee that includes stakeholders like us,” Lokesh Ram added.
With the Karnataka Assembly session set to begin on March 3, AKSARA has given the government a final deadline to respond. If the issue remains unaddressed, the association will escalate the matter to the President of India for intervention.
What is the issue?
The controversy surrounding the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) stems from alleged injustices in its recruitment process, particularly affecting Kannada-medium rural students.
Over the years, candidates have raised concerns about a lack of transparency, irregular notifications, and recruitment delays. The most recent controversy escalated after discrepancies were reported in the preliminary exam. Many candidates allege unfair evaluation, errors in question papers, and a lack of Kannada translation in key sections, which disadvantaged non-English-speaking aspirants.
Prominent Kannada writers, ruling party members, and opposition leaders also voiced their concerns, sending letters to the government urging intervention.
