The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has made a decisive ruling. The Jammu Bench, consisting of Sanjeev Gupta and Pragya Sahay Saksena, refused to reschedule the Junior Engineer (JE) recruitment exams despite a clash with the UPSC Civil Services Main Examination 2025. The decision came after four aspirants petitioned for a postponement, arguing the overlap would disadvantage them.
The JE (Electrical) exam is set for August 24, and the JE (Civil) exam for August 31. These dates fall squarely within the UPSC Mains window, which runs from August 22 to 31. The petitioners, all UPSC prelims qualifiers, claimed the scheduling conflict stripped them of a fair shot at both exams.
Representing the aspirants, Senior Advocate Abhinav Sharma called the JKSSB’s decision arbitrary. He emphasized the clash violated Article 14 of the Constitution, which guarantees the Right to Equality. The argument, however, didn’t sway the tribunal.
On the other side, the government’s counsels, led by Senior AAG Monika Kohli, highlighted the logistical nightmare a rescheduling would cause. With over 31,000 candidates registered for just 800 posts, the plea from four aspirants seemed disproportionate. Exam materials were printed, venues booked, and staff deployed. A delay would mean chaos and wasted resources.
The CAT noted the petitioners filed their plea too late, just four days before the first exam. The dates had been public since July 1, giving ample time to raise concerns earlier. The tribunal referenced Supreme Court judgments to underline that the rights of thousands outweigh the inconvenience of a few.
In the end, the CAT dismissed the petition outright, prioritizing the larger candidate pool and the administrative groundwork already in place. The decision underscores the challenges of balancing individual grievances with systemic efficiency in competitive exams.