ibn sultan
Srinagar, Jan 21 : The announcement of the Jammu and Kashmir Judicial Services (Civil Judge–Junior Division) Mains Examination 2025 results has triggered protests among candidates from the Kashmir division, who have alleged large-scale irregularities and regional bias in the selection process.
The results were declared on January 20 by the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC).
The recruitment process began with the issuance of a notification on May 14, 2025, for 42 posts of Civil Judge (Junior Division). The Preliminary Examination, initially scheduled for September 21, was postponed and later conducted on September 28 across the Union Territory.
According to official figures, 1,016 candidates qualified the preliminary examination and appeared in the Mains examination held between November 16 and November 26, 2025.
Candidates claimed that unofficial estimates suggested nearly 600 candidates from the Kashmir division had cleared the preliminary stage. However, the Mains results revealed that only 13 candidates from Kashmir were shortlisted for the viva voce stage out of a total of 124 candidates, with the majority reportedly belonging to the Jammu division.
The sharp decline in the number of Kashmir-based candidates progressing from the prelims to the interview stage has raised serious concerns regarding the evaluation process.
Several aspirants alleged systematic exclusion and demanded greater transparency in the assessment of answer scripts. They maintained that such a wide disparity could not be explained on merit alone and called for an independent review.
Candidates further alleged that aspirants from one examination centre in Srinagar were shown to have failed en masse, raising fears that answer scripts from the centre may not have been evaluated. Affected candidates have sought clarification from the commission regarding the status of their papers.
The protesters have demanded the publication of individual marks, disclosure of evaluation criteria, release of centre-wise data, and an independent inquiry into the conduct of the examination and evaluation process.
They said any irregularity in a judicial services examination is a serious matter, as it concerns the recruitment of members of the judiciary.
There was no immediate response from the JKPSC to the allegations.(KNS)
