Aspirants alleges administrative negligence in recruitment for Assistant Director posts

Srinagar, Jun 20: A fresh controversy has erupted over the recruitment process for the post of Assistant Director (Economics & Statistics) being conducted by the J&K Public Service Commission (JKPSC) as the distressed qualified candidates allege administrative negligence in the selection.

The officials at JKPSC, however, dispelled the allegations saying the recruitment and the examination was held as per the set norms.

The JKPSC official said that the recruitment was done after getting proper clarification from the concerned department about the eligibility criteria of the candidates on the basis of their qualification. However, a group of aspirants complained to Greater Kashmir about the administrative negligence in the selection process. The aspirants said the examination was held between August 6 and August 21, 2024 for which the eligibility criteria and post-examination changes have now come under severe public scrutiny.

The aggrieved aspirants claim that the recruitment drive—advertised under notifications 13-PSC(DR-P) of 2023 and 01-PSC(DR-P) of 2024 excluded standalone Master’s Degree holders in Statistics from the eligibility criteria following which they were barred from applying for the posts. They said that according to the advertisement, only candidates with Master’s Degrees in Economics, Economics & Statistics, Commerce, Mathematics, M.Sc. from the Indian Statistical Institute, or MCA were eligible to apply.

"Standalone Master’s Degrees in Statistics were not listed due to which many otherwise qualified candidates were kept under an impression that they were ineligible and did not apply," the aspirants said. The aspirants said the move amounts to an irreparable loss and a direct violation of Article 16 of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees equal opportunity in matters of public employment.

The aspirants said that JKPSC later declared candidates with a Master’s Degree in Statistics eligible after holding the exams while attributing the earlier exclusion to a "clerical error." “This glaring error is not just a clerical mistake but a failure of administrative responsibility that demands immediate accountability," the aspirants said.

They said the post-examination change undermines the transparency of the entire selection process and raises suspicion of selective inclusion. The JKPSC official however refused the allegation and said the candidates have misinterpreted the advertisement and remained out from the recruitment. "Even if there was any confusion in the eligibility, these candidates should have applied. The issue and confusion would have been resolved at the time of document verification," the JKPSC official said. He said the candidates having masters in Statistics and those having masters degree in Statistics and Economics were both eligible, as per the clarification sought from the department. "There is no negligence or error in the recruitment. It is being done as per set norms and rules. The candidates who have not even applied cannot raise questions," the official said.