Open Merit candidates secured fewer positions than Reserved Categories In J&K Civil Services
NAVVNEET DUBEY
Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Thursday erupted over reservation row as People’s Conference chairman Sajad Lone and National Conference MLA Nazir Gurezi spared on merit and justice. Gurezi was also joined by other MLAs from reserved constituencies.
The issue erupted during Zero hour when PC chairman accused the government of stonewalling questions and withholding information related to reservation. He questioned the government over the basis and data supporting reservations in public employment and education. Lone said he had submitted two questions seeking details of the Cabinet Sub-Committee report and the data used to justify the reservation.
Lone pointed, “I consider reservation a serious matter. When I asked for the sub-committee report and the supporting data, there was no clear response,”. He said that extending reservation without proper assessment could limit opportunities for meritorious candidates. “If reservation had been applied earlier, would we have the doctors, engineers, and lawyers we see today? They reached those positions through open competition. Increasing reservation now will restrict talent that could represent Jammu and Kashmir globally,” Lone said.
Lone urged the government to make information public instead of avoiding scrutiny. “Someone wants to research and analyse this issue. The government should provide data rather than block questions,” he said.
NC MLA Nazir Ahmad Gurezi took exception to remarks made by Lone and said such comments ignored the challenges faced by students from remote regions like Gurez. “You studied in London, while my son studies in a school in Dawar where there are no teachers,” Gurezi said. NC member said students in underdeveloped areas often study without basic facilities such as science teachers but still compete in the same exams.
“There is no science stream in many high schools in Gurez, yet our students sit for the same tests. When a boy from Gurez gets selected, you say he cannot bear the competition. He can, and he is as capable as anyone,” Gurezi said. The exchange led to protests in the House, with MLAs from reserved constituencies standing up to oppose Lone’s comments. The Speaker intervened to restore order, and proceedings continued smoothly thereafter.
Meanwhile as per official data tabled in the house, Open merit candidates secured fewer positions than those from various reserved categories in Jammu and Kashmir’s premier civil services over the past three years.
In the Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service (JKAS) alone, 39 open merit candidates were selected in 2023 compared to a combined total of 50 candidates across Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, Economically Weaker Section, and other reserved categories. The following year, while open merit selections rose to 56, the reserved categories together accounted for 43 positions. So far in 2025, only 24 open merit candidates have been selected, while reserved categories continue to maintain nearly equal representation across the Administrative, Accounts, and Police services.
For the Jammu and Kashmir Accounts Service, 29 open merit selections were made in 2023, followed by 27 in 2024 and 15 in 2025, with the remaining share distributed among the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, RBA, and other categories. Similarly, in the Police Service, 26 open merit candidates made it in 2023, 25 in 2024, and 9 in 2025, with the balance of seats taken by reserved categories.
