THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Ranchi, February 21: In a significant development for civil services aspirants, Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Saturday announced in the Assembly that the cut-off date for JPSC age eligibility has been revised from August 2026 to August 2022. The decision effectively grants candidates a four-year age relaxation.
The announcement was made on the fourth day of the Budget Session, following sustained demands from several MLAs over the past two days seeking relief for overaged aspirants.
High Court Relief Preceded Government Move
The decision comes a day after the Jharkhand High Court permitted more than 200 overage candidates to apply for the 14th Combined Civil Services Examination conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC).
Previously, the cut-off date for calculating the minimum and maximum age limits for the 14th Combined Civil Services Examination was set as August 1 2026. However, due to the irregular conduct of civil services examinations in the state, many candidates had exceeded the prescribed age limit.
Students Had Demanded 8-Year Relaxation
In light of the delays, students had been demanding an eight-year age relaxation to enable them to sit the examination. Had this demand been accepted, general category candidates up to 38 years of age would have been eligible to appear. Additionally, candidates with disabilities in the same category would have been eligible up to the age of 48. Similarly, candidates across all categories would have been allowed to appear beyond the upper age limits prescribed for their respective categories.
However, the government was not in favour of granting the full eight-year relaxation sought by students. The Personnel Department had prepared a proposal recommending a maximum age relaxation of three years for the 14th Combined Civil Services Examination and forwarded it to the Cabinet for approval. Subsequently, in the House, the Chief Minister announced the revised cut-off date of August 2022, which effectively provides candidates with a four-year age relaxation.