JK Bank Opens 1,397 Vacancies Amid Age Limit Protests
Jammu and Kashmir Bank announced 1,397 recruitment positions, sparking criticism from local lawmakers over restrictive age limits and reservation policies.
The Jammu and Kashmir Bank announced a recruitment drive for 1,397 positions, comprising 343 Probationary Officers and 1,054 Banking Associates. The vacancies are split between the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, which has 1,356 posts, and Ladakh, which has 41 posts. Applications opened on November 7 and will close on November 26, 2026.
Eligibility is restricted to graduates who hold domicile status in the respective Union Territory and are between 20 and 30 years of age as of January 1, 2026. The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection will manage the examinations, which include a three-stage process for Probationary Officers and a single online exam for Banking Associates. Selected candidates must serve a minimum of five years in their initially allotted zone.
Following the announcement, Waheed-ur-Rehman Para, a People's Democratic Party MLA from Pulwama, criticized the eligibility criteria. Para argued that the 30-year age cap penalizes aspirants who have waited years for employment and demanded the limit be raised to 40 years to match the standards of the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board. He further called for the removal of reservation provisions for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and other categories, claiming that such policies in a commercial institution undermine meritocracy.
