Srinagar, Nov 09 (HS): The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) on Monday wrote to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, seeking his personal intervention to raise the upper age limit to 40 years in the ongoing J&K Bank recruitment. It said the current limit of 30 years has excluded thousands of eligible candidates after a gap of nearly six years in hiring.

In the letter, JKSA national spokesperson Dr Zubair Reshi said the notification for Probationary Officer (PO) and Banking Associate posts is a welcome development, but the age cap has caused widespread disappointment among aspirants who had prepared for years. He said aspirants should not bear the consequences of delayed recruitment and “administrative inaction” beyond their control.

The association pointed out that the upper age limit for PO posts in the previous recruitment cycle was 32 years, and that the latest notification has reduced it to 30 despite the long gap. It urged the LG to impress upon the bank management the need to raise the limit to 40 years for eligible open merit candidates, in line with the age criteria generally followed by the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB).

If that is not feasible, JKSA said the previous limit of 32 years for PO posts should at least be restored, along with additional age relaxation to compensate for the recruitment gap. It also asked that similar consideration be extended to Banking Associate aspirants.

The association also raised concerns over the distribution of vacancies. It said that of the 1,356 posts advertised, only about 542 fall under open merit, while the rest are reserved for various categories. JKSA said it respects the constitutional framework of reservation and the rights of all eligible categories, but asked the competent authorities to examine the matter so that merit remains a central consideration and all sections of society get fair opportunities.

Stating that J&K faces significant unemployment among educated youth, JKSA said fresh recruitment after nearly six years should bring hope and relief, not create new barriers. It said a timely and favourable decision would bring relief to thousands of aspirants.

J&K Bank has advertised 1,356 vacancies, comprising 323 PO posts and 1,033 Banking Associate posts. The general age eligibility is 20 to 30 years as of January 1, 2026, with relaxation for reserved categories under applicable rules. Applications opened on November 7 and will close on November 26, and the examinations will be conducted by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS).

Aspirants and some political leaders have also sought a higher age limit, pointing out that several J&K government recruitments allow up to 40 years for open merit candidates. The J&K and Ladakh governments together hold a majority stake of about 59 per cent in the bank.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Zahoor Hussain Bhat