Despite Sinha-Omar standoff, panel says civil services exam as per schedule

The Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) on Saturday announced that the Combined Competitive Examination (CCE) will proceed as scheduled, despite the tension between the Lok Bhavan and the Omar Abdullah government over demand for age relaxation and calls to postpone the exam.

The JKCCE selects candidates for three key civil services—the J&K Administrative Service, Police Service and Accounts Service—and student groups as well as political parties have been demanding age relaxation, a provision granted multiple times in previous recruitment cycles.

“We are going ahead with the exam, as per schedule,” J&K Public Service Commission Chairman Arun Kumar Choudhary told The Tribune. However, he declined to comment further on the subject.

The controversy escalated after the Chief Minister's Office accused Lok Bhavan of delaying approval of the age-relaxation proposal, while the LG's office rebutted this, saying the file had been returned the same day it was received—December 2—with a specific query seeking clarity from the J&K Public Service Commission.

According to the L-G's office, the query sought to establish whether it was logistically feasible to conduct the December 7 exam after modifying eligibility norms at “such a belated stage.” “Social media posts regarding the JKPSC exam are misleading,” the L-Gs office said in a post on X. “The file was returned the same day with a query. Despite four days passing, no response was received.”

The L-G office also pointed out that the JKPSC issued the advertisement for the exam on August 22, followed by the exam-date notification on November 6.

Earlier, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had urged the JKPSC to “take note of the unprecedented stress on aspirants” caused by flight disruptions, winter travel difficulties and “uncertainty created by Lok Bhavan's delay in approving age relaxation.” Abdullah said the exam should be postponed “in the interest of fairness and equal opportunity.”

National Conference chief spokesperson and MLA Tanvir Sadiq argued that the government had already completed its part. “If the Chief Minister approved and sent the file, there was absolutely no reason for any further queries,” he said. He added that what was considered correct for years “remains correct today”. He said the Chief Minister had also sent a proposal to the Chairman, J&K Public Service Commission, to postpone the exam.

Meanwhile, in Jammu, a group of aspirants intensified protests by holding a hunger strike, while in Srinagar police briefly detained and later released another protester who had begun a similar strike late Friday night.

Opposition and smaller parties have also weighed in. PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti said aspirants were “caught in a tussle between the L-G and the CM,” and urged a quick resolution. “In this freezing cold, they are out on the streets asking for basic fairness,” she said.

CPM MLA MY Tarigami echoed this, cautioning that conducting the exam while the age-relaxation decision remains pending “places aspirants at a clear disadvantage.” He said many candidates travelling from outside the UT are stranded due to widespread flight cancellations.

Leader of Opposition and BJP MLA Sunil Sharma accused the Omar Abdullah government of delaying the age relaxation proposal by “four months.” He said the L-G would clear the file promptly once the elected government “completes all required formalities.”