Srinagar, Nov 15: The Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC), the recruiting body for gazetted government posts, continues to function without a chairman for over three months, with no headway in filling the top position, leaving recruitment of around 1,200 posts and departmental promotions in limbo.
The delay in appointment of a new chairman has left aspirants in a state of uncertainty, with examination schedules for several advertised posts, including assistant professors, yet to be announced. Two positions of members are also lying vacant in the Commission.
The prolonged leadership vacuum has raised concerns over the Commission’s ability to discharge its routine recruitment and promotion-related responsibilities.
As already reported by this newspaper, the former chairman of JKPSC, A K Choudhary, a former Jammu and Kashmir cadre IPS officer, retired on August 15, 2026. He was appointed chairman on February 24, 2024.
The two members of the Commission, Yashpal Kotwal and Tariq Ahmad Zargar, attained superannuation on January 2 and June 19, 2026, respectively.
The Commission currently has two members, including Dr Rajiv Singh, a former professor at SKUAST-Jammu, and Asaf Mehmood Sagar, a former Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer.
Rajiv Singh, who was appointed in June 2024, is due to retire in December 2029, while Mehmood Sagar, who joined the Commission on July 10, 2024, will retire in August 2028.
Currently, Shahbaz Ahmad Mirza is serving as the Secretary of the Commission since September 1, 2026.
An official said the absence of a chairman had taken a toll on the pace of recruitment, as examination and interview schedules for several advertised posts were yet to be announced.
“We were expecting that a new chairman will be appointed and the recruitment process will get expedited, but there is no headway in the process,” an official of JKPSC told Greater Kashmir.
The delay in the appointment has also caused frustration among aspirants awaiting recruitment examinations.
“There is complete frustration among candidates who have applied for different posts. The Commission advertised several vacancies of assistant professors for colleges some time ago, but the schedule for examinations is yet to be announced,” an aspirant told Greater Kashmir.
The JKPSC has a sanctioned strength of a chairman and eight members.
As per the details, the vacancies have affected the pace of the Commission’s work. The Commission completed over 700 recruitments for various gazetted posts during 2024-25, while 1,152 candidates were recruited for different gazetted positions in 2025-26.
An official at JKPSC said recruitment of around 1,200 positions was in the pipeline but had been held up due to the vacant position of chairman.
“Recruitment of around 1,200 positions was in the pipeline, but everything is held up. We cannot go ahead with the recruitment process without a chairman,” the official said.
The official said that besides other examinations, recruitment for JKAS and Prosecution Officers was also in the pipeline.
“We were expecting that the position of chairman would be filled in October. But we are also confused about the process. We have no idea why the government is delaying the appointment, and we cannot even ask the government the reason for the delay,” the JKPSC official said.
