The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) has urged Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to intervene in Jammu and Kashmir Bank's latest recruitment drive and seek an increase in the upper age limit for Open Merit candidates from 30 to 40 years, citing the nearly six-year gap since the previous recruitment cycle.
In a representation submitted to the Lieutenant Governor on November 9, JKSA National Spokesperson Dr Zubair Reshi said thousands of educated candidates had crossed the prescribed age limit while waiting for fresh vacancies. The association has asked the bank to reconsider its eligibility criteria for both Probationary Officer (PO) and Banking Associate posts before the recruitment process advances further.
J&K Bank has advertised 1,356 vacancies, comprising 323 Probationary Officer posts and 1,033 Banking Associate posts. The recruitment is restricted to candidates holding a domicile certificate of Jammu and Kashmir. The upper age limit for Open Merit and Economically Weaker Section candidates is 30 years, calculated as on January 1, 2026, with relaxations for other categories under the applicable rules.
JKSA has also objected to the reduction in the age limit for Probationary Officer recruitment. It said the previous recruitment cycle had allowed candidates up to 32 years of age, while the latest notification has lowered the limit to 30 years despite the prolonged interval between recruitment exercises. The association has sought restoration of the earlier limit as a minimum measure, along with additional relaxation to account for the intervening years.
The association has cited the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB), which generally permits Open Merit candidates to apply for recruitment up to the age of 40, as a precedent for its demand. It has sought comparable consideration for Banking Associate applicants who became ineligible during the recruitment gap.
The representation has also questioned the distribution of the advertised vacancies. According to JKSA, around 542 of the 1,356 posts have been allocated to the Open Merit category, with the remaining positions distributed among reserved categories. The association has called for transparency in the allocation while acknowledging the existing reservation framework.
The demand comes amid wider criticism of the age criteria. Jammu and Kashmir Higher and School Education Minister Shamim Firdous has described the 30-year limit as unfair, citing the absence of major recruitment drives in the Union Territory in recent years.
“Our youth have become ‘over aged’ for recruitments. The age limit of 30 years is very less and it should be 40 years,” Minister Shamim Firdous said. She also said she would raise the issue with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
PDP legislator from Pulwama Waheed Para has also questioned the age restriction. He said candidates who had waited for years for an opportunity to apply were being excluded by the 30-year ceiling and called for the upper age limit to be raised to 40.
J&K Bank's recruitment notification was issued earlier this month, with online applications opening on November 7 and scheduled to close on November 26, 2026. The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) will conduct the examinations. Candidates must hold a graduation degree from a recognised university, and selected applicants will be required to serve for at least five years in the zone initially allotted to them.
JKSA has asked Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to take up the issue with the bank's management and the concerned authorities. The bank has not announced any change to the prescribed age criteria.