SRINAGAR: The Group of Concerned Citizens (GCC), Jammu and Kashmir, has appealed to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to intervene and seek a revision of the upper age limit prescribed by Jammu and Kashmir Bank for its ongoing recruitment, arguing that the existing criteria disadvantage thousands of educated unemployed youth.
In a memorandum submitted to the Lieutenant Governor, the Group has sought an increase in the maximum age for entry-level appointments to 40 years, in line with the age eligibility prescribed under Jammu and Kashmir’s government service rules.
The appeal concerns recruitment to 1,356 vacancies notified by J&K Bank for the posts of Banking Associate and Probationary Officer. The Bank has prescribed an upper age limit of 32 years for Banking Associates and 30 years for Probationary Officers, against the 40-year limit sought by the Group.
Earlier Precedent
The GCC has pointed out that the upper age limits prescribed in the current recruitment notification are not entirely new but have remained unchanged across previous recruitment cycles.
During the 2020 recruitment cycle, the maximum age for Open Merit candidates was 32 years for Banking Associates and 30 years for Probationary Officers.
Similarly, in 2018, the upper age limit was initially fixed at 32 years for Banking Associates and 30 years for Probationary Officers. Following representations from candidates, the limit was subsequently raised to 35 years.
The Group has argued that the 40-year upper age limit prescribed under government service rules has its origins in the endemic problem of educated unemployment in Jammu and Kashmir, given the limited presence of industrial and business enterprises in the region.
“The Central Government also took this important factor into account in providing for J&K-specific relaxed age norms, over the years, in appointments to All India Services,” the memorandum states.
Reservation Argument
The GCC has also invoked the recruitment reservation framework to support its demand, pointing out that the reservation scheme followed by J&K Bank aligns with that applicable under Jammu and Kashmir’s government service rules.
“As a natural corollary, the age limit for entry-level posts in the Bank ought to be the same as in the state/UT Rules,” the Group has argued.
The memorandum urges the Lieutenant Governor to seek a review and revision of the age eligibility criteria by the Bank’s management, taking into account the concerns of thousands of job aspirants, civil society organisations and public representatives across the political spectrum.
