If you can write in English, you are expected to talk in English, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) told an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) aspirant who had alleged bias over interviews being conducted in English.

Chittaranjan Kumar, who appeared for the written part of the 2008 civil services examination in English, had moved the Bombay high Court, claimed he had become a 'victim' of the language policy.

Advocate Rui Roderigues, counsel for the UPSC, denied any bias and said that candidates who chose to answer the written examinations in Hindi or a local language, had the option of choosing the interview round in the same language or English. However, candidates who had opted to answer the written part of the examinations in English, could only choose that language for the interview/personality test round.

"A candidate who is capable of clearing the written part of the civil services examination by writing in English in as many as seven descriptive papers of different subjects apart from language papers is expected to have adequate communication skills to express oneself before the interview board," said M Mukhopadhyay, under-secretary, UPSC in an affidavit submitted by Roderigues.

The UPSC affidavit went on to illustrate that speech is the first skill that anyone learns. "It is common knowledge that of the three usages of English-speaking, reading and writing-the speaking part is easiest to learn while the writing part is felt to be the toughest," said the affidavit, adding, "A child first learns to speak, while skills of reading and writing come thereafter."

The UPSC further said that allowing candidate who appears in the written examination in English to opt for another language in the interview would make the process of interview cumbersome, requiring a number of interpreters.

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Courtesy: timesofindia.indiatimes.com