L-G, CM face-off triggers uncertainty ahead of JKPSC preliminary exam

With just hours left for the J&K Combined Competitive (Preliminary) Examination for the Jammu & Kashmir administrative and police services, the offices of the Lt Governor and the Chief Minister on Saturday traded allegations over the delay in granting age relaxation to aspirants.

The delay in approving or rejecting the proposed age relaxation has caused concern among candidates, as the examination is scheduled for tomorrow (Sunday, 7 December). Aspirants have been demanding an increase in the upper age limit from 32 to 37 years, as similar relaxation had been granted in the past four years.

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Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday blamed the Raj Bhavan for the prevailing uncertainty.

The Chief Minister’s Office wrote on X: “The Chief Minister expressed deep concern over the travel chaos caused by ongoing airline disruptions, compounded by the uncertainty resulting from Raj Bhavan’s delay in approving age relaxation, a provision granted multiple times in the past. He urged the 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.”

Soon after, the Lt. Governor’s Office issued a counter-statement, asserting that the file had been promptly returned to the Secretariat with a query.

In a series of posts on X, the Lt. Governor’s Office wrote: “Social media posts regarding the JKPSC exam are misleading. Raj Bhavan received the file on 2 December 2025, which specifically pertained to age relaxation.
“The file was returned the same day, 2 December 2025, with a query on whether it was logistically possible to conduct the exam on 7 December after incorporating modifications in eligibility criteria at such a late stage.

“Despite the lapse of four days, Raj Bhavan did not receive any response. I fully sympathise with the young aspirants.”

“The advertisement notice for the examination was issued by the J&K Public Service Commission on 22 August 2025. The exam was scheduled for 7 December 2025 through a notification on 6 November 2025,” the LG’s office posted.

Meanwhile, opposition leaders also sharpened their attack on the National Conference government. Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti urged both the LG and the 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 standoff a “classical case of passing the buck at the cost of young aspirants.”

Accusing Omar Abdullah of running the CM’s Office through “TV bytes,” he said: “First, the CM posted suggesting he had no role in scuttling the age relaxation file. And now the LG says they sent the file back on 2 December. For heaven’s sake, can the CM put something in writing? A CM’s 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.”

Senior CPI(M) leader and MLA M.Y. Tarigami said that conducting the examination tomorrow while the age relaxation file remained pending with the LG would place aspirants at a “clear disadvantage.”

“Moreover, many candidates travelling from outside J&K are stranded due to flight cancellations. The examination must be deferred until the approval process is duly concluded,” he added.