Ranchi, Feb 12 (IANS) The Jharkhand High Court has granted interim relief to 22 candidates seeking relaxation in the upper age limit for the Jharkhand Public Service Commission’s (JPSC) 14th Civil Services Examination.

Hearing a petition filed by Kishore Kumar and others on Thursday, Justice Ananda Sen directed the JPSC to accept the petitioners’ applications, ensuring they are not excluded from the recruitment process.

However, the court made it clear that the declaration of their results and any subsequent appointments will be subject to the final court order.

The petitioners, represented by advocate Amritansh Vats, argued that under the 2021 Recruitment Rules, the Civil Services Examination is to be conducted annually. They contended that as a result of the irregular conduct of the examination, several candidates crossed the upper age limit, and no relaxation has been given to them.

The plea further pointed out that while the upper age limit was relaxed in the previous two examinations, the cut-off date for calculating the maximum age in the current examination has been fixed as August 1, 2026. According to the petitioners, this has made many candidates ineligible; however, the delay is purely due to the Commission.

After hearing the arguments, the court directed the Commission to accept the applications of the petitioners so that they are not deprived of an opportunity to compete. It reiterated that their participation would remain provisional and subject to the court’s final decision.

The next date of hearing will be notified later.

The JPSC recently issued an advertisement for the 14th Civil Services Examination, with online applications opening on January 31. The last date to apply is February 14, while the examination fee can be paid until 5 p.m. on February 16.

A total of 103 posts are to be filled through the examination. These include 28 Deputy Collector posts, 42 Deputy Superintendent of Police posts, 10 State Public Relations Officer posts, 10 Assistant Municipal Commissioner/Executive Officer posts, four Probation Officer posts, three Assistant Director (Women and Child Development) posts, two Jail Superintendent posts, two District Superintendent posts, and two Assistant Registrar posts.

–IANS

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