SRINAGAR: Former Minister and senior BJP leader Choudhary Sukhnandan Kumar on Monday urged the Jammu and Kashmir administration to revise the recruitment age criteria for Sub Inspector posts in the JK Police. He proposed increasing the current age eligibility from 18-28 years to a more practical range of 21-31 years, calling for its implementation in the ongoing recruitment process.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters, Sukhnandan pointed out the anomaly in the existing criteria. He argued that since graduation is a mandatory qualification for the position, candidates cannot reasonably meet the requirement by the minimum age of 18. “From 2010 onwards, the educational qualification was changed from Class 12 to graduation, yet the minimum age remained unchanged at 18 years. This gap needs to be addressed,” Kumar stated.
Highlighting the recruitment process that recently filled 1,200 posts, the senior BJP leader said that the issue had not been raised earlier but struck him after interacting with aspirants. “I have assured the candidates that I will take up this matter with the J&K administration,” he said. Sukhnandan Kumar stressed that the revision would provide more realistic and fair opportunities for deserving aspirants who fulfil both educational and age-related prerequisites.
The BJP leader also commended Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha for his proactive efforts to address youth-related concerns, particularly unemployment. He noted that aspirants have long been demanding age relaxation, and addressing this issue would go a long way in resolving their grievances.
Sukhnandan Kumar’s demand comes as a significant intervention at a time when recruitment processes are under scrutiny, with hopes that the administration will take appropriate measures to align eligibility criteria with practical realities.
