4 min readSrinagarDec 7, 2025 03:27 AM IST
First published on: Dec 6, 2025 at 06:00 PM IST
With less than 24 hours to go for the Jammu & Kashmir administrative and police service exam, the Chief Minister’s Office and the Lok Bhawan Saturday passed the buck over the indecision on granting age relaxation to candidates.
On November 6, the J&K Public Service Commission notified that the J&K Combined Competitive (preliminary) Examination would be held on December 7, Sunday. Applicants began seeking relaxation in the applicable age criterion from 32 to 37 years. Stating that the same relaxation had been allowed for the past four years, they urged both the elected government and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to allow it this year as well.
As the exam date approached, student groups raised a chorus highlighting their demand. Tanvir Sadiq, spokesperson for the ruling National Conference, said on December 2 that the file seeking age relaxation for JKAS/PS aspirants had been sent to the Lok Bhawan for clearance.
However, admit cards were soon issued and, with no clarity on whether an age concession would be granted in time, students then sought postponement of the exam.
On Saturday, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s office issued a statement expressing concern over the delay in approving the proposal and squarely blamed the LG’s office.
In a post on X, the CM’s office said: “Chief Minister expressed deep concern over the travel chaos caused by the ongoing airline issues, compounded by the uncertainty resulting from Lok Bhavan’s delay in approving age relaxation, a provision granted multiple times in the past. He urged JKPSC to take note of the unprecedented stress on aspirants and consider postponing the exam in the interest of fairness and equal opportunity for all.”
Shortly after, the J&K LG issued a statement clarifying that the file had been returned to the Secretariat with a query. “Social media posts with regard to [the] JKPSC exam are misleading. Lok Bhavan had received the file on 2nd Dec, 2025 which was categorically related to Age Relaxation only. File was returned the same day, 2nd Dec, 2025, with a query whether it is logistically possible to conduct an exam on 7th Dec, by incorporating modifications in eligibility criteria at such a belated stage”.
The LG also stated that despite a lapse of four days, “Lok Bhawan did not receive any response”.
This comes a day after the chief minister, citing the “extraordinary situation” and the uncertainty arising due to the delay in the proposal regarding age relaxation, wrote to the Public Service Commission and urged it to consider postponing the exam “by a reasonable duration”, adding that that the provision has been extended several times in the past.
Meanwhile, opposition members also used the issue to sharpen their attack against the National Conference government. Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti urged the LG and CM to resolve the issue without further delay.
“Aspirants of the JKPSC CCE are caught in a tussle between the LG and the CM. In this freezing cold, they are out on the streets asking for nothing more than basic fairness — age relaxation and a reasonable exam schedule,” she said.
People’s Conference president Sajad Lone termed the tussle a “classical case of passing the buck at the cost of young aspirants”.
Accusing Omar of running the CM office through “TV bytes”, he said: “First CM posted suggesting that he had no role in the scuttling of the age relaxation file. And now the LG has suggested that they had sent the file back on 2nd of December. For heaven’s sake can the CM put something in writing. CM office cannot be run through TV bytes. What stops him from issuing written orders? Let them defy written orders. If the other side is falsifying facts. Let us call their bluff”.
On Saturday, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s office issued a statement expressing concern over the delay in approving the proposal and squarely blamed the LG’s office. (File Photo) 
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