The issue once again exposed the power struggle between the offices of the chief minister and the lieutenant governor of Jammu and Kashmir.
Despite chief minister Omar Abdullah’s objection, the Public Service Commission (PSC) on Sunday (December 7) conducted the Combined Competitive Examination (CCE) that paves the way for job aspirants to enter the elite Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service (JKAS).
The commission, which functions under J&K’s lieutenant governor, turned down Abdullah’s suggestion to postpone the exam amid the unresolved issues of a one-time age-relaxation sought by some student bodies in J&K and the travel chaos triggered by IndiGo airlines.
The issue has once again exposed the fault-lines in the administrative structure of the Union territory of J&K, where the offices of lieutenant governor and chief minister have been caught in a power struggle since the popular government took office in October last year.
A day before the exam was scheduled to be held, the chief minister wrote to PSC chairman Arun Kumar Choudhary on Saturday, saying that the issues of age-relaxation and air travel disruption had caused “unprecedented mental and logistical stress” to aspirants.
“Keeping in mind the principles of fairness, equity and equal opportunity for all aspirants, I would urge the Commission to take cognisance of the prevailing circumstances and consider postponement of the forthcoming examination by a reasonable duration, purely in the interest of the candidates,” he wrote.
The commission had fixed 32 years as the upper age limit for open merit candidates, 34 years for reserved and in-service candidates and 35 years for physically challenged persons, while the Abdullah-led government had sought 35 years, 37 years and 38 years for the respective categories of candidates.
