From the SSC CHSL 2026 notice, candidates who choose Hindi for the LDC/JSA typing test must type in Mangal font only, and using any other font means they do not qualify. An SSC addendum dated 23.09.2026 applies the same rule to Stenographer Grade C and D 2026. In practice, the font that is out is Kruti Dev and other legacy, non-Unicode fonts.
For a Kruti Dev typist this changes the font, not necessarily the fingers. Remington GAIL uses the same typewriter key positions and produces Mangal-compatible Unicode text. SSC has not yet said which layouts it will offer on Mangal, so the plan below keeps your options open.
What the SSC CHSL 2026 notice says
The SSC CHSL 2026 notice, marked for upload on 07.09.2026, adds a new item (viii) to para 13.9.13.7. It says candidates opting for Hindi as the medium of the LDC/JSA typing test "will be required to type in Mangal Font only". The use of any other font "will lead to their non-qualification" for LDC/JSA "or any other equivalent posts".
The matching part of the CHSL 2025 notice had no font clause. It covered medium choice, 35 wpm English and 30 wpm Hindi, 10,500 and 9,000 key depressions per hour, 10 minutes, scribe time and PwD exemption. The Mangal rule is new in 2026. For CHSL test details beyond fonts, see our SSC CHSL typing test preparation guide.
The Stenographer addendum of 23 September 2026
The Stenographer Grade C and D 2026 notice of 24.04.2026 said nothing about fonts. On 23.09.2026, SSC issued an addendum continuing para 15 of that notice. It says Hindi-medium candidates "shall be required to type in Mangal Font only". A script typed in any other font "shall not be evaluated". Such a candidate is treated as not qualified, and their candidature is not considered for later stages.
The steno wording is stricter than CHSL's: it says plainly that the script will not be evaluated at all. Both texts point the same way: SSC Hindi typing is now Mangal, and nothing else.
What SSC offered before
- CHSL 2019 skill test (held November 2021): Hindi typists could choose Hindi Inscript, Hindi Krutidev, Hindi Remington GAIL or Hindi Remington CBI.
- CHSL 2023 Tier II: the same four layouts, and the layout could be changed during the test.
- Older SSC steno instructions: Inscript, Krutidev, Remington CBI and Remington GAIL.
- SSC departmental typing test (March 2025): for serving employees, not recruitment, Hindi typists "can use Inscript OR Remington Keyboard outlays only", and the layout could not be changed once chosen. This was the first SSC text we found that left Krutidev out.
So "Hindi Krutidev" was a normal option on SSC consoles until the 2026 notices.
What the notices do not say yet
- Layouts on Mangal. Neither notice says whether Inscript, Remington GAIL or Remington CBI will be offered with Mangal. The CHSL 2026 Tier II instructions have not been published. The rule is about the font, so a Remington layout that outputs Unicode should still be valid if SSC keeps it, but no notice confirms this.
- Other SSC typing tests. No SSC notice yet applies the rule to the Delhi Police Head Constable (Ministerial) test. Its 2025 notice states no font. CAPF HC (Ministerial) is also not covered by these notices, though the CAPF test already uses "Remington Gail Key layout with MANGAL Font" only under the CRPF 2023 notice.
- The reason. SSC has given none. Since 2012, Department of Official Language guidance has asked central offices to use Unicode fonts and Inscript, but SSC's notices do not cite it.
The 2012 guidance prefers Inscript to Remington. Some people expect SSC to narrow layouts further, but no notice says so; treat that as speculation and check the Tier II instructions when they appear.
Where Kruti Dev is still allowed
The Mangal-only rule is SSC's. Some coaching blogs say SSC, UP Police, CPCT and the High Courts have all removed Kruti Dev, but that overstates it. Several recruiters still name Kruti Dev or DevLys:
- RRB NTPC: candidates "must be familiar with the usage of Krutidev or Mangal font"; no layout is named. See the RRB NTPC skill test rules.
- RSSB Clerk Grade II / JA: DevLys 010 only, and font change is not allowed (2024 instructions, same format expected for Advt 04/2026).
- Rajasthan High Court: Kruti Dev 010.
- HP High Court Clerk: Kruti Dev 10.
- Others: DSSSB's 2019 notice named KrutiDev. AIIMS Rishikesh LDC offers Kruti Dev on QWERTY or Mangal on Inscript. CSIR CSIO lists Mangal and Krutidev 10/11. UPPSC RO/ARO offers Kruti Dev 010 and Mangal Inscript, per news reports. For UPSSSC Junior Assistant, coaching sites claim Kruti Dev 010 or Mangal Inscript; check your notice.
Unicode-only recruiters outside SSC include CAPF, Patna High Court, MP High Court (Remington GAIL), Allahabad High Court and UP Police (Inscript), and CPCT.
A switching plan for Kruti Dev typists
- Keep your keys. Practise on Remington GAIL. The key positions follow the typewriter order you learned on Kruti Dev: ि is typed before its consonant, and the reph (र्) is Shift+Z after the syllable. On TypingHub your keyboard stays on English, the site types Mangal-compatible Unicode Hindi, and nothing needs installing. Remington GAIL vs Inscript shows the key sequences.
- Check your output, not just speed. Unicode text forms conjuncts and matras by rule. Practise the joins you use most until they come out right first time.
- Learn Inscript as a back-up only if you have time. If SSC's Tier II instructions leave out Remington, Inscript appears in every SSC layout list we found. Do not switch your main layout until the instructions say you must.
- Practise at the SSC target. CHSL Hindi needs 30 wpm, about 1,500 key depressions in 10 minutes. Use the Hindi option on the SSC CHSL test page, which sets the 30 wpm target.
- Applying to RSSB or Rajasthan as well? The keys are the same, so one practice routine serves both. But the RSSB screen shows DevLys glyphs, and RSSB marks matra errors, even invisible repeated ones, as wrong. Keep matras clean.
- Setting up a home PC? Windows 10 and 11 keep Mangal in an optional font package, and Microsoft's Remington GAIL keyboard needs a separate add-on that users report failing on Windows 11. Browser practice avoids both problems.
Our guide to moving from English to Hindi typing covers layout basics, and the Hindi typing test page lists Remington key examples and the Hindi rules by exam. The typing courses for Hindi exams add more than 100 Hindi and more than 150 English premium passages.
Frequently asked questions
Has SSC banned Kruti Dev?
For SSC CHSL 2026 LDC/JSA and Stenographer C and D 2026, yes in effect. Both notices say Hindi typing must be in Mangal font only, and a script in any other font leads to non-qualification.
Can I still use the Remington layout in SSC?
SSC has not said. The rule names a font, not a layout, and Remington GAIL produces Unicode text, so it should fit if SSC keeps it on the console. Check the CHSL 2026 Tier II instructions when they are published.
Does the Mangal rule apply to Delhi Police HCM and CAPF?
No SSC notice says so yet. The Delhi Police HCM 2025 notice names no font. CAPF HC (Ministerial) already uses Mangal with Remington GAIL under the CRPF 2023 notice.
Does RRB NTPC also require Mangal?
No. The RRB NTPC skill test notice says candidates must be familiar with "Krutidev or Mangal" font. No removal of Kruti Dev by RRB has been found.
Is TypingHub's Hindi output valid for SSC's Mangal rule?
TypingHub types Unicode Hindi, which is what Mangal displays, in every layout. That matches the text SSC will evaluate. Practice cannot guarantee which layouts SSC will offer, so check the official instructions.
