Neutrality of Jammu & Kashmir Pubic Service Commission has come into doubt immediately after it’s constitution as the newly appointed Chairman B R Sharma has surprisingly choosen to meet the Lt Governor Grish Chander Mumu to seek a brief from him over the roadmap for the recruitments. Though the norms of institutional neutrality demand that the multi-member commission headed by a former Chief Secretary of erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir state B R Sharma draws road map for recruitments through extensive discussions with other members of the commission recently appointed by the Government but unfortunately the chairman of the commission has choosen to seek a brief over the roadmap for recruitments from the Lt Governor instead of seeking briefs from the members of the commission for furthering the causes of consensus over the working of the commission including primarily the process of recruitments. Interestingly the Chairman of the Commission is known for his unceremonious removal as Chief Secretary by the erstwhile Mehbooba Mufti led coalition government of which BJP the party presently commanding and controlling the central government was a major ally. In fact the unceremonious termination of the previous Chairman and members of Jammu & Kashmir Public Service Commission before the expiry of their term was not even mandated by the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Act 2019 passed by the parliament to bifurcate the erstwhile state into two union territories and the decision was even formally challenged by the Chairman and members of the erstwhile commission through a detailed letter to the Lt Governor.
As a new domicile law has replaced more than 100 year old state subject law in Jammu & Kashmir, the biggest challenge for the new public service commission would be neutrality in the proposed recruitment processes for gazette services and posts in Jammu & Kashmir.
The appointment of Sharma as J&K PSC Chairman forced him to quit the much bigger position of Chairman Staff Selection Commission- a top recruiting agency of the central government carrying out selections for key non gazetted services and posts of the central government. Sharma giving up a bigger position to take up the present assignment at J&K PSC in presence of a Lt Governor led administration but not a popular government also leaves scope for critics to raise questions over the central government’s decision. As a new domicile law has replaced more than 100 year old state subject law in Jammu & Kashmir, the biggest challenge for the new public service commission would be neutrality in the proposed recruitment processes for gazette services and posts in Jammu & Kashmir. The Chairman and members of the commission have to resist pressures from all quarters keeping in view the fact that this time they have to take care of the concerns of the state subjects of the erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir state keeping in view their rising apprehensions about recruitments under Lt Governor led administration in Jammu & Kashmir in absence of a popular government.
