JKAS Mains Exam: Rule 32 relevant for fresh notification, says JKPSC

JAMMU — The Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission has strongly countered the ‘information being shared on social media as well as press statements issued by a number of political parties, seeking rescheduling of the J&K Combined Competitive (Main) Examination proposed to be held from the 8th April 2022 to 17th April 2022’ and clarified its position with regard to conduct of J&K Combined Competitive (Main) Examination, 2021.

To set the record straight, dates and events relevant and leading to the conduct of the J&K Combined Competitive (Main) Examination from April 8, 2022, the JKPSC has reproduced the factual details.

The details describe that the preliminary exam was held on October 24, 2021; 20790 candidates appeared in the examination; preliminary exam results were declared on November 13, 2021, and 4545 candidates were declared eligible for appearing in the J&K Combined Competitive (Main) Examination, 2021; first public notice issued on 13th November indicating first fortnight of February 2022 as the likely date of start of Mains examinations; second notification inviting applications for Mains was issued on November 26 indicating date of exam commencement as February 14, 2022; keeping in view the onset of the third wave of COVID-19 and conduct of Indian Forest Service Examination, March 8, 2022, was fixed for the commencement of J&K Combined Competitive (Main) examination, 2021. However, this was revised to March 10 so as to facilitate candidates appearing in the IFoS examination by issuing a notification, dated February 22.

JKPSC further said that a few unqualified candidates approached High Court on 21-02-2022 and obtained interim orders which were contested by the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission. Due to these interim orders, certain contingencies arose and resultantly exam had to be postponed on March 9 till further notice.

The High Court reserved the Judgment on March 16, 2022, and the same was announced on 01-04-2022 and public notice (date-sheet) was issued on 01-04-2022 itself for the conduct of the J&K Combined Competitive (Main) Examination from April 8, 2022 – April 17, 2022.

Attempts have been made to mislead the general public with reference to Rule 32 of Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (Business Rules & Procedure) Rules, 2021 claiming that the rule envisages an intimation period of at least one month before the commencement of the examination. To put things in perspective, it is important to refer to rules 26 (Receipt of Applications), 27 (Scrutiny of Applications), 28 (Determination of Eligibility) and 29 (Appellate Authority) of said rules before conclusions are made since Rule 32 is to be read conjointly with the aforementioned rules and is not to be read in isolation.

To make things even clearer, it is vehemently reiterated that Rule 32 is relevant only when a fresh notification for recruitment is issued and in the present case, the chronology of dates makes it amply clear that since the issuance of the first notice on November 13, 2021, almost 145 number of days have passed and for the candidates to claim that sufficient notice has not been provided is nothing but a mischievous attempt to mislead and cast aspersions on the fairness of the process adopted by the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission.

The Commission makes it clear that it is making every effort to conduct the J&K Combined Competitive (Mains) Examination, 2021 in a fair and transparent manner and the same shall be held from April 8, 2022, as per the date sheet already notified in this regard.