J&K govt scraps ongoing process of recruitment of POs, banking associates

Jammu and Kashmir government on Thursday scrapped the recruitment process of 250 probationary officers and 1,200 banking associates in J&K Bank started in 2018 due to various 'legal infirmities' and announced fresh recruitment on fast track basis through IBPS.

"The ongoing process of recruitment for these posts (250 POs and 1,200 banking associates since 2018) by this (J&K) bank shall stand scrapped", Principal Secretary Planning, Development and Monitoring, Rohit Kansal told reporters here tonight.

Kansal said that the issues had been ongoing since 2018 and noted that various "legal infirmities" had been pointed out in the ongoing process.

Kansal, who is also the government's spokesperson, said that the decision was taken by the Administrative Council which met here on Thursday under the chairmanship of Lieutenant Governor G.C. Murmu.

The Council, he said, therefore, directed the finance department to advise J&K Bank to initiate a fresh, fair, norm based and transparent recruitment for 250 Probationary Officers and 1200 banking Associates in the J&K Bank through the IBPS.

"The entire recruitment process will be completed on a fast track basis within three months. The detailed modalities and announcements in this regard will be finalized by the bank in its next board meeting", Kansal said.

The bank is being advised to ensure that all applicants eligible in the last recruitment which has been cancelled shall be eligible for the fresh recruitment also, he added.

In October 2018, J&K Bank had advertised for 250 vacancies of POs and a three-phase recruitment process.

According to the bank's notification, an initial preliminary examination is to be followed by the mains, and finally the interview round.

With protests reported from various parts of Jammu region, where candidates with higher marks had been left out as per the bank's notification for examination in June last year, and the issue threatening to snowball into a major crisis after the BJP and the IkkJutt Jammu outfit jumped in the fray and called it another instance of regional discrimination, the then Governor Satya Pal Malik Malik asked the bank to revisit its decision.

The revised cutoff now has left candidates in the Valley angry, with many people criticising an independent institution for buckling under pressure from BJP.