KVPY Exams: Centre To Take Steps For Conduct Of 2022 Exams In As Many Scheduled Languages As Possible, Madras High Court Agrees

The bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Audikesavalu perused the affidavit filed by Scientist 'G' and Scientist 'F' from INSPIRE/MANAK Division of the Department of Science and Technology informing that question papers can't be prepared in all scheduled languages for the current year, except Hindi and English.

The affidavit filed by the scientists states that the National Testing Agency has been contacted to improve the accessibility of the talent search exam, pursuant to the court order on 9^th November. A solemn undertaking has been given in the affidavit that the computer-based talent search exam will be made available in as many languages as possible, apart from Hindi and English alone, starting next year. The impossibility of following such a process this year is because the entire process takes a minimum of 7-8 months for completion, the affidavit says.

The Madurai Bench had already stayed the conduct of exams scheduled on 7^th November.

On 9^th November, Madras High Court allowed the Union of India to conduct KVPY Exam, 2021 in Hindi and English alone, provided that there will be a firm commitment from the part of Union to conduct the exam in all regional languages in the years to come. The Bench accepted the submissions made by ASG on the practical difficulties in revamping the entire process at the last moment and permitted the ASG to file an affidavit by 15.11.2021 regarding the feasibility of including regional languages in subsequent exams.

Therefore, the court disposed off the current petition, noting the following:

"In view of the above commitment by the Union to ensure that the talent search contest is conducted in more languages in future years, and that the apparatus therefor would be set up over the next seven to eight months, WP (MD) No.16054/ 2021 is disposed of with the observation that this year's edition of the contest may be conducted only in English and Hindi as originally scheduled, but from the 2022 edition, it must be in most of the scheduled languages apart from English and Hindi."