Postal exams can be in local languages: Centre

Assistant Solicitor General (ASG) G Karthikeyan made the submission in a special mention before a bench of justices S Manikumar and Subramonium Prasad.

The bench is hearing a PIL challenging the exclusion of Tamil as one of the languages for the exams for recruitment to posts of multi-tasking staff, postman and mail guard, among others, in the postal department.

The ASG said the two earlier circulars were withdrawn and a new circular that was issued permitted the candidates to write the Paper I examination in English, Hindi and respective local languages where Hindi was not a local language.

He then requested that the matter be taken up on Tuesday when an affidavit with the relevant order will be filed, which was accepted by the bench.

On July 23, the court directed the Ministry of Communications, the Department of Posts and the Chief Post Master General to file a reply explaining the administrative reasons which compelled it to cancel postal recruitment examinations scheduled next month in Tamil Nadu.

The Centre had earlier this month cancelled the postal department exams in Tamil Nadu in view of opposition from various political parties to its conduct only in English and Hindi and excluding Tamil as one of the languages for the tests.