J-K LG Manoj Sinha vs Omar Abdullah Over Age Relaxation For Job Aspirants

J-K LG Manoj Sinha vs Omar Abdullah Over Age Relaxation For Job Aspirants

Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha today rebutted Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s claim on the issue of age relaxation for job aspirants, calling it misleading.

Responding to a social media post by the Chief Minister, Sinha said the J&K government had not yet responded to the query he had raised while returning the file on age relaxation, which had been sent by the Chief Minister on December 2.

Caught between the standoff between the Chief Minister and the Lt Governor are thousands of candidates appearing for the Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service examination tomorrow, December 7.

Omar Abdullah has asked the J&K Public Service Commission to defer the exams in the wake of flight disruptions and what he called “delay” by the LG’s office in approving the file. The Chief Minister has written a letter to the chairman of the Commission, requesting him to take a compassionate view and postpone the exams.

“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,” said Abdullah in a post on X.

The reply was swift. The Lt Governor put out a series of posts, terming the social media comments by the Chief Minister as misleading and blaming him for sending the file on age relaxation at a “belated stage.”

“Social media posts with regard to JKPSC exam are misleading. Lok Bhavan received the file on 2nd Dec, 2025, which was categorically related to age relaxation only. The file was returned the same day, 2nd Dec, 2025, with a query on whether it is logistically possible to conduct the exam on 7th Dec by incorporating modifications in eligibility criteria at such a belated stage,” Sinha said in a post.

The Lt Governor blamed the Chief Minister’s office for not responding to the query he had raised and also highlighted the inordinate delay in sending the age relaxation file to his office, even though the J&K PSC had started the process three months ago.

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

The Lt Governor said the advertisement notice for the examination was published by the J&K Public Service Commission on 22.08.2025. The exam was notified to be conducted on 07.12.2025 through a notice issued on 06.11.2025, he added.

Thousands of aspiring job seekers have been demanding that the age limit be relaxed from 32 to 37, bringing it at par with other states in the country. All political parties, including the BJP, have supported the demand.