Administrative action follows repeated failures to clear mandatory typing test
The Bareilly district administration has demoted a junior assistant to a Class IV (peon) post after he failed the mandatory Hindi computer typing examination three times. The District Magistrate, Avinash Singh, issued the order on September 16, citing the employee's inability to meet the prescribed typing standard despite repeated chances to qualify.
The officer affected is Rehan Khan, who was appointed as a Junior Assistant (Junior Clerk) under the deceased government employee dependent quota on July 5, 2021, and posted at Meerganj tehsil. According to the district administration, Khan failed his first typing attempt on September 25, 2023, and a second on June 21, 2024. He was given a final opportunity to pass the test, but the administration reported he did not qualify on the third occasion, which was conducted on September 8, 2026.
Following the third unsuccessful attempt, the administration initiated action under relevant government rules that require proficiency in computer typing for the post of Junior Assistant. The DM's order transferred Khan from his clerical duties to a Class IV position with immediate effect.
"There is an employee named Rehan Khan from AWK Mirganj who was appointed as a Junior Assistant in 2021. As you are aware, proficiency in computer typing is mandatory for the post of Assistant. If an employee lacks this skill at the time of recruitment, they are given an opportunity to practise and acquire the necessary typing skills to pass the required test," the District Magistrate said in an official explanation of the action.
Rules, opportunities and the administrative precedent
Under the applicable government provisions for clerical appointments, candidates must demonstrate a prescribed level of proficiency in Hindi typing. Where appointees do not possess the skill at the time of recruitment, the administration is empowered to provide a regulated period and opportunities to practise and then appear in the test. The district administration said it followed this course, offering three chances before initiating the demotion.
The case highlights the administrative application of service rules in Bareilly and underscores the emphasis placed on basic computer skills for clerical work in local government offices. Officials said the move was carried out in accordance with procedure; the order appointing Khan to the Class IV cadre was issued after the third failed test.
Local implications and procedural clarity
Demotion of an employee appointed under a dependent quota is sensitive and has implications for beneficiaries of such schemes. The administration's action demonstrates that conditional appointments are subject to the same service conditions and skill requirements as other recruitments. It also underlines the district's insistence on minimum functional competencies in routine office work, particularly as departments increasingly move towards digital records and correspondence in Hindi.
- Appointment: Khan was appointed as Junior Clerk on 5 July 2021 under the dependent quota.
- Tests attempted: Failed typing tests on 25 September 2023, 21 June 2024 and 8 September 2026.
- Action taken: DM Avinash Singh issued an order on 16 September demoting him to Class IV (peon).
Officials did not provide details of any remedial training offered between attempts, nor did they comment on the employee's salary adjustment or appeal prospects in the published order. The district office statement confined itself to the chronology of tests and cited the statutory requirement for typing proficiency as the basis for the action.
The personnel move in Meerganj is likely to be cited in other departments as an example of enforcing minimum competency criteria. For residents and local employees, it clarifies that appointments under welfare quotas carry the same performance obligations as open recruitments, and that administrative remedies — including demotion — remain available where prescribed standards are not met.
