SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) on Thursday declared the results of the Combined Competitive Examination (CEC) 2024, recommending 90 candidates for Medical Examination, the final gateway before appointment, but the list has raised eyebrows among observers familiar with the recruitment process, who say Kashmiri Muslims appear significantly underrepresented in this year’s selection.
According to Notification No 16-PSC(DR-S) of 2026 dated March 13, 2026, signed by Secretary Bashir Ahmad Dar (JKAS), the Commission conducted the Personality Test (Interview) between March 5 and March 13, 2026, at the Jammu office of JKPSC. Out of 345 candidates called for an interview, four did not appear, and the results of one candidate have been withheld. The Commission has now notified 90 candidates, ranked by aggregate merit, to report for Medical Examination before the respective Medical Boards at GMC Srinagar or Jammu.
The journey to this list was long. A total of 31,644 candidates were provisionally allowed to appear in the Preliminary Examination, of which 19,659 actually sat. After Mains, held from July 23 to August 1, 2025, 2,492 candidates appeared across all papers. The final 345 who reached the interview stage, and the 90 now shortlisted for Medical Examination, represent the culmination of nearly two years of examination.
Absyu Sharma from the Open Merit (OM) category tops the list with 1,062 marks, followed by Simranjeet Kaur (1,057.50) and Harshit Sharma (1,034). The first ten positions on the merit list are entirely dominated by OM category candidates, with the sole exception of Sohan Singh at rank 9, who belongs to the RBA/OM category.
While JKPSC has not released any religion-wise or district-wise breakdown, nor is it required to under existing rules, sources familiar with the examination process and its demographic dynamics have raised concerns. According to these sources, Muslims usually constitute roughly 47 per cent of candidates who typically qualify through competitive examinations of this nature in Jammu and Kashmir, yet in the current list of 90 candidates recommended for Medical Examination; only around 35 appear to be Muslim, a figure closer to 38 per cent.
More strikingly, sources claim that of these Muslim candidates, only 13 to 17 hail from the Kashmir Valley region, with the overwhelming majority of selected candidates belonging to the Jammu region.
“This is not just about numbers. The Kashmir Valley has a large educated youth population that has been preparing rigorously for years. When the representation dips this sharply, people ask questions,” a source with knowledge of the selection process told this reporter.
The document does reveal that of the 90 candidates in Annexure-II (the medical examination list), a significant proportion belong to reserved categories, including ST1, ST2, SLC, ALC, RBA, SC, EWS, and the special ST1/PHC category, alongside OM candidates. As many as 56 candidates are from reserve categories. The reservation framework follows JK Reservation Rules (SRO 294) as amended, which distribute seats across multiple socio-economic and regional categories.
Notably, six additional applicants (petitioners) who were called for an interview at the direction of the Hon’ble Central Administrative Tribunal had their results withheld pending court proceedings.
The Commission has maintained that the selection follows the criteria fixed under SRO-103 of 2018 as amended, and that the listed candidates were chosen strictly by aggregate merit within their respective categories. The notification also states that the lists are provisional and subject to the outcome of any pending writ petitions before competent courts.
Marks cards of all candidates who appeared in the interview will be made available on the JKPSC website only after the select list is forwarded to the government for appointments.
The 90 recommended candidates must now report to the respective Medical Boards at Government Medical College, Srinagar or Jammu, whichever they choose, and bear a prescribed fee before the medical check-up. The Commission has clarified that being called for medical examination does not confer any right to selection. Dates for the medical examination will be notified separately.
