Kannada language qualification mandatory for crime officers

The Karnataka State Police Department notification stated that the Scene of Crime Office (SOCO) applicants must write the first language SSLC Kannada language paper to qualify.

Karnataka State Police Department has made the SSLC Kannada language paper compulsory for those applying for the Scene of Crime Office (SoCO) post. The decision was made in response to aspirants' concerns and protests about the SoCO position's eligibility criteria. Candidates had complained that there is no language requirement, allowing Karnataka residents to apply.

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The difficulties faced by the applicants are exacerbated by the fact that the position requires a forensic degree or diploma. Many people are disqualified for the position because there are no colleges in Kamataka that offer these courses. To address this, the department has stated that passing the Kannada Language examination at the first language level during the SSLC examinations on April 4 is a prerequisite for applying for the position. The applicant will only be considered qualified after that.

Previously, the candidates had expressed their dissatisfaction with the lack of a forensic degree or diploma program in Karnataka government schools. They had also urged the government to put such a program in place. According to one of the aspirants, Mohammed Layakath, only about 700 people took the exam for 206 positions. "Students with forensic degrees from private colleges or from outside the state were able to write the exam," he explained, "but approximately six lakh BSc students were unable to write the exam because Karnataka government colleges do not offer an additional one year of forensic science diploma."

Earlier, the government directed the state's higher education institutions not to teach Kannada to undergraduate students this academic year until the court issued its final decision in the case. The higher education department has issued an order instructing colleges and higher education institutions not to make it mandatory, following an interim order from the Karnataka High Court instructing the government that students who do not wish to study Kannada will not be forced to do so until further orders are issued.