Jammu/Srinagar, Dec 7: Around 61 per cent of candidates appeared for the Combined Competitive Examination (CCE) on Sunday as the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) went ahead with the test despite calls for postponement amid widespread flight cancellations and a row over upper age limit.
The examination was conducted in two sessions — from 10 am to 12 pm, and from 2 pm to 4 pm — as scheduled, ending last-minute uncertainty amid tension between Lok Bhavan and the Omar Abdullah government over demands to relax the upper age limit.
The elected government, several political parties, and many aspirants had urged the JKPSC to postpone the exam.
“The examination was successfully conducted at 53 centres across Jammu and Kashmir. Of the total 22,573 registered candidates, 13,732 appeared for the tests — a turnout of 60.83 per cent — in two sessions,” JKPSC Additional Secretary and Controller of Examination, Sachin Jamwal, told PTI.
He said the examination was conducted under strict guidelines and supervised by observers and a magistrate stationed at each centre.
Asked about the reasons for the low turnout, he said such attendance was usual, noting that in previous examinations too, the turnout had consistently remained around 60 to 61 per cent.
Referring to the situation as extraordinary, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah wrote to the JKPSC chairman on Saturday, saying the ongoing disruption in flight services has caused widespread chaos, and it has been “further compounded by the prevailing uncertainty” over the Lok Bhavan’s “delay” in approving age relaxation for aspirants.
However, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha refuted the claim that the Lok Bhavan had caused a delay.
Sinha wrote on social media that he had returned the file the same day, December 2, with a query about the possibility of holding the examination on the scheduled date if the upper age limit was relaxed, but received no follow-up from the government.
The post said the JKPSC had published an advertisement for the examination on August 22, with the exam scheduled for December 7.
The commission had fixed a maximum age limit of 32 years for open merit candidates, 34 years for reserved or in-service candidates, and 35 years for physically-challenged persons.
However, the government sought relaxation of the upper age limit to 35 years for open merit candidates, 37 years for reserved or in-service candidates, and 38 years for physically-challenged candidates.
“This exam is a dream for a lot of us. We were hopeful that the relaxation would come through,” said Abhinandani Gupta, a student, while waiting outside her designated centre in Jammu.
She said a postponement would have benefited those who missed the exam, but it would have been a setback for candidates who had been preparing for it.
Another aspirant, Sahil Mathur, said many students were expecting the paper to be deferred, but the JKPSC’s midnight notification announcing that the exam would be conducted as per schedule ended the uncertainty.
He expressed “heart-felt sympathy” for those who were unable to appear for the test.
“The chief minister had sought age relaxation. What happened then, we don’t know. The students were protesting till the last day. The uncertainty caused real hardship,” he said.
Many aspirants said they were unsure until the last moment whether the exam would take place or not, amid friction between the lieutenant governor’s office and the elected government.
