The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has identified eight vacancies in the Indian Police Service (IPS) from the Jammu & Kashmir segment of the joint AGMUT cadre for promotion-based induction. This move is aimed at addressing vacancies accumulated over multiple years, following the reorganisation of Jammu & Kashmir.
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Vacancy Breakup and Re-Determination
According to an official letter sent by the MHA to the Union Territory Division and the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), the eight vacancies span across four years:
- 5 vacancies for the Select List 2021 (re-determined from previous unfilled vacancies)
- 0 vacancies for the Select List 2022
- 2 vacancies for Select List 2023
- 1 vacancy for Select List 2024
The five vacancies for 2021 include carried-forward posts from the years 2015 to 2020. These were reassessed after only 27 out of 32 available vacancies in the IPS cadre of the erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir were filled through appointments notified on September 29, 2023. The corresponding Selection Committee Meeting (SCM) had taken place on July 21, 2023.
Impact of Cadre Merger and Control Shift
Following the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2021, the separate cadre of All India Services in J&K was merged into the AGMUT cadre, which includes Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram, and Union Territories. Post the conversion of the state into a Union Territory, the Jammu & Kashmir Police came under the direct control of the MHA.
Next Steps
The MHA has instructed its UT Division and the UPSC to initiate further steps in accordance with the IPS (Appointment by Promotion) Regulations, 1955. The determination of three vacancies for 2023 and 2024 is attributed to the retirement of an equivalent number of IPS officers during this period.
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