JKAS age relaxation row: Sajad Lone slams ‘quixotic’ governance, demands clarity from CM office

Srinagar, Dec 05: People’s Conference President and MLA Sajad Gani Lone on Friday launched a sharp attack on the government over the continuing uncertainty surrounding the age relaxation in the Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Services (JKAS) examination, accusing the administration of pushing aspirants into “unprecedented miseries mired in ambiguities.”

Lone according to news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS), said the government’s handling of the issue reflected a “typical Quixotic style of functioning,” where files endlessly shuttle between offices without any concrete outcome.

“As the story goes every time, it is again about the file. The Chief Minister’s Office says the file has been sent to the Lieutenant Governor’s office, and the LG office has apparently sent it back for approval of logistical costs,” Lone said.

Highlighting the mental stress faced by aspirants, Lone said the prolonged uncertainty over age relaxation had become a serious impediment to competitive exam preparation.

“The uncertainty surrounding age relaxation is unnerving. It destroys focused preparation. Those preparing for competitive exams live on clarity and timelines,” he added.

Taking a personal swipe, Lone remarked that the Chief Minister may not fully understand the academic pressures faced by meritorious students. “To the best of my knowledge, CM sahib was not particularly a meritorious student in his younger days. I am sure he would not know what it takes for a student to prepare for competitive examinations under constant uncertainty,” he said.

Lone urged the CM to personally intervene and issue a clear, authoritative statement from the Chief Minister’s Office to end all confusion. “For once, the CM should come out and clear the ambiguities,” he said.

Drawing a comparison with national standards, Lone said that the average upper age limit for All India Open Merit candidates is 38 years, while in Jammu and Kashmir it remains capped at 32 years.

“I fail to understand that if almost every single rule has been applied in J&K post-2019, why this rule has been kept outside its ambit,” he said.

Declaring his political stand, Lone said, “My vote is for age relaxation.”

He also took a swipe at the ongoing blame game between institutions, saying, “Yet again, it is a story of whether ‘UTH’ did it or ‘TUTH’ did it,” reflecting public frustration over bureaucratic buck-passing.