Onlykashmir.in News Desk
The Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) has been functioning without a regular Chairman for more than three months, while six member positions also remain vacant. The situation has caused concern among thousands of aspirants awaiting recruitment to gazetted posts in the Union Territory.
The previous Chairman, A.K. Choudhary, retired on July 31, 2026, and no regular successor has been appointed so far. With only two members currently serving, aspirants say the prolonged vacancies have created uncertainty over recruitment schedules, examinations, interviews and other selection-related activities.
The Commission prepares recruitment calendars, conducts written examinations, evaluates answer scripts, declares results, holds interviews and recommends candidates for appointment. It also conducts Departmental Promotion Committee meetings for promotions in various government departments.
Aspirants have urged Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to intervene and ensure the appointment of a regular Chairman and the filling of the six vacant member positions, saying the institutional vacuum is affecting candidates who have spent years preparing for government jobs.
Applicants for 205 Assistant Professor posts, advertised by the JKPSC in August 2026 for the Higher Education Department, have been particularly affected. They are awaiting clarity on the written examination schedule, and some fear that delays could affect their eligibility because of age limits. An aspirant from Jammu University said he is 39 and has only one year left before crossing the upper age limit. “I do not know when the written examination will be conducted. Such uncertainty is causing immense anxiety among candidates,” he said.
Shazia Lone, who recently returned after a postdoctoral fellowship in Zoology in Germany, said highly qualified researchers returning from abroad to contribute to higher education are growing frustrated. A senior professor from Jammu University questioned the delay in filling leadership and member positions in an institution with such significant responsibilities. Another aspirant, who applied for an Assistant Professor position at SKIMS, said he had returned from the United States expecting interviews to be completed in September but was still waiting.
According to aspirants, more than 1,500 posts across departments are reportedly at various stages of recruitment. Thousands of candidates, including holders of Ph.D., postdoctoral, MD, MS, DNB, M.Ch. and DM degrees, are awaiting completion of selection processes. Mudasir Ahmad said the uncertainty had deepened frustration among educated unemployed youth, and called for immediate steps to restore the Commission’s functioning.
The aspirants reiterated their appeal to the Lieutenant Governor, warning that continued uncertainty could further jeopardise the careers of qualified candidates. There was no official response in the information available, and it is not clear when appointments to the Commission are likely to be made.
