With just one day remaining for the Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service (JKAS) preliminary examination, dozens of aspirants continued their hunger strike in Jammu on Friday, demanding an immediate and clear decision on the long-pending age-relaxation proposal. The protest is being held at Maharaja Hari Singh Park, where candidates have been sitting for nearly a week despite harsh winter conditions. Around thirty to forty aspirants are part of the ongoing protest. They allege that the administration has maintained complete silence on whether the upper age limit will be relaxed before the December seven examination, leaving thousands of candidates in uncertainty.
Aspirants Say They Feel Abandoned
Speaking to reporters, one protesting aspirant said that students feel “abandoned and disappointed” as neither the examination has been postponed nor has any official communication been issued regarding the status of the proposal. According to the protesting candidates, the age-relaxation demand affects thousands of aspirants across Jammu and Kashmir, including nearly nineteen thousand candidates who have already crossed the existing upper age limit due to delays in recruitment cycles. The aspirants claim that the absence of a regular JKPSC examination calendar over the past decade has pushed many eligible candidates out of contention purely on age grounds.
Disparity in Age Limits Raised by Candidates
Highlighting the disparity, one student pointed out that in several other states, the upper age limit for open merit candidates goes up to forty years, while in Jammu and Kashmir many candidates become over-age by thirty-two. He said that when only a handful of examinations are conducted over a ten-year period, a large number of serious aspirants lose their opportunity to compete despite years of preparation. The candidates described the situation as structural injustice caused by administrative delays.
Confusion Over Status of Proposal
A major concern among aspirants is the lack of clarity on where the age-relaxation file currently stands. Protesters claimed that different officials are giving contradictory information. “Some say the file is with the Secretary, others say it is with the Lieutenant Governor’s office. Nobody is giving a clear answer. We only want to know whether the decision will come or not,” one student said. The aspirants also mentioned that the Leader of the Opposition had assured a student delegation that he would take up the matter with the Lieutenant Governor once queries raised by the administration were addressed. However, even after that assurance, no concrete update has been conveyed so far.
Exam Stress Compounded by Uncertainty
With the JKAS prelims scheduled for Sunday, December seven, candidates said they are stuck between preparation pressure and uncertainty about their eligibility. Many aspirants have been preparing for years and now face the risk of being disqualified at the last moment if age relaxation is not approved. “At least tell us the final decision. The exam is in one day. We are protesting because we do not know where the file is or what the government intends to do,” another aspirant said. The uncertainty, students added, has begun to take a serious mental and emotional toll on candidates who are already dealing with the stress of a highly competitive examination.
Appeal to LG Administration and JKPSC
The protesting aspirants have urged the Lieutenant Governor’s administration and the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) to issue an immediate and official statement on the age-relaxation issue. They said a clear announcement—whether in favour or against the relaxation—would at least bring closure and transparency, and help prevent further distress among candidates who have invested years in preparation. As of Friday evening, no official clarification had been issued on the matter. The hunger strike is expected to continue until a formal decision or communication is released by the authorities.
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