Ranchi – The Jharkhand High Court has granted interim relief to 22 candidates who sought relaxation in the upper age limit for the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) 14th Civil Services Examination.
While hearing a petition filed by Kishore Kumar and others, Justice Ananda Sen directed the JPSC to accept the applications of the petitioners, ensuring they are allowed to participate in the recruitment process. However, the court clarified that the declaration of their results and any future appointments would depend on the final verdict.
Appearing for the petitioners, advocate Amritansh Vats argued that under the 2021 Recruitment Rules, the Civil Services Examination is supposed to be conducted every year. Due to irregularities and delays in conducting the exam, several candidates crossed the upper age limit and were denied relaxation.
The petitioners also highlighted that age relaxation was granted in the previous two examinations. However, for the current exam, the cut-off date to determine the maximum age has been fixed as August 1, 2026, making several candidates ineligible despite delays being attributed to the Commission.
After considering the arguments, the court directed the Commission to accept the applications of the petitioners so that they do not lose the opportunity to compete. Their participation will remain provisional and subject to the final decision of the court.
The next hearing date will be announced later.
Recently, the JPSC released a notification for the 14th Civil Services Examination. Online applications started on January 31 and will close on February 14, while the examination fee can be paid until 5 p.m. on February 16.
The recruitment drive aims to fill 103 vacancies, including 28 Deputy Collector posts, 42 Deputy Superintendent of Police posts, 10 State Public Relations Officer posts, 10 Assistant Municipal Commissioner/Executive Officer posts, four Probation Officer posts, three Assistant Director (Women and Child Development) posts, two Jail Superintendent posts, two District Superintendent posts, and two Assistant Registrar posts.
With inputs from IANS