Aspirants Allege Bias, Demand Probe into Jammu Kashmir Judicial Services Results | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: Aspirants of the Jammu and Kashmir Judicial Services on Wednesday staged a protest outside the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission office, alleging serious irregularities, regional bias and lack of transparency in the recently declared Civil Judge Junior Division mains examination results.

The protest followed the declaration of the Judicial Services Mains Examination 2025 results on January 20, which shortlisted 124 candidates for the viva voce stage out of 1,016 candidates who had qualified the preliminary examination. Aspirants from the Kashmir division claimed that only 13 candidates from the Valley were shortlisted for interviews, triggering widespread discontent and allegations of systematic exclusion.

The recruitment process began with the notification issued on May 14, 2025, announcing 42 posts of Civil Judge Junior Division. The preliminary examination, initially scheduled for September 21, 2025, was postponed and eventually conducted on September 28 across Jammu and Kashmir. According to candidates, nearly 600 of the 1,016 prelims qualifiers were from the Kashmir division, indicating significant representation at the initial stage.

Protesting candidates questioned the sharp drop in Kashmir based representation after the mains examination, which was held from November 16 to November 26, 2025. They alleged that the evaluation process lacked credibility, pointing out that the results were declared within a span of about one and a half months despite the evaluation of nearly 10,000 answer scripts, which they said was statistically and administratively implausible.

Speaking to reporters, an aspirant said the protesters were not opposing merit or candidates from any region but were demanding transparency and accountability. He said the disparity in results raised doubts about evaluation standards and fairness, particularly when other major examinations, including the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services Examination conducted in 2023, were still awaiting mains results.

Candidates also alleged that one entire examination centre in Srinagar had reportedly shown zero successful candidates, claiming that answer scripts from the centre may not have been evaluated at all. They termed the outcome arbitrary and inconsistent with probability, further strengthening their demand for an independent probe.

The aspirants demanded immediate disclosure of the evaluation methodology, publication of marks, centre wise data and a thorough review of the selection process. They appealed to the Lieutenant Governor, the Chief Minister and officials of the Public Service Commission to intervene, urging that interviews should not be conducted until their concerns are addressed.

Several candidates said many aspirants were appearing in what could be their final attempt due to age limits and eligibility conditions, and alleged that an unfair evaluation had deprived them of a crucial career opportunity. The protesters said they were willing to cooperate with any agency, including a re-examination, to restore confidence in the recruitment process.

Aspirants warned of sustained protests and possible legal action if the alleged anomalies were not resolved, stating that irregularities in a judicial services examination undermine public trust in the justice delivery system.