The Jammu and Kashmir administration has bowed to pressure from agitating job aspirants and deferred recruitment examinations being conducted by a controversial company, in what is seen as another admission of failure to provide corruption-free governance.

“The Computer Based Examinations for various posts scheduled w.e.f. 16.03.2023 to 05.04.2023 are deferred till further intimation,” the government’s main recruitment arm, the Jammu and Kashmir Service Board, said in a tweet on Tuesday night.

The board had resolutely defended its decision to award the contract for conducting exams to a “previously” blacklisted company, Aptech, by changing a clause that barred it from doing so.

The board has so far not withdrawn the contract to the firm. Board chairman Rajesh Sharma had last week called the protests by hundreds of job aspirants in Jammu and Kashmir as motivated by people with “some ulterior motives”.

Lieutenant gover nor Manoj Sinha went a step further by questioning the right of mainstream politicians, including those from the National Conference and the People’s Democratic Party, to oppose the move, claiming they gave jobs “to terrorists and their relatives” during their rule in Jammu and Kashmir.

Former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti had hit back, saying the tradition of giving jobs to “mafia and goons” exists in Uttar Pradesh, the home state of Sinha.

Sinha on Wednesday refused to react to Mehbooba’s claim on Uttar Pradesh but said there was truth in his assertion that anti-nationals got jobs during the rule of Jammu and Kashmir parties. He said 47 such employees had already been sacked.

No inquiry was held before firing them, as part of a government crackdown on employees seen as a threat to national security.

“The exams have been temporarily adjourned. I think the exams will be held once the SSB is fully satisfied. There should not be an iota of doubt that transparency and merit is our top priority. There will be no compromise on it,” Sinha said.

Hundreds of protesters had been detained over the past few days. The LG’s administration, which has accused all previous elected governments of Jammu and Kashmir of being corrupt, is facing a credibility crisis after several recruitment lists issued by it were cancelled over allegations of fraud.

Following protests, the government had hired the Mumbai-based Aptech to conduct the recruitments, only to face more protests.

The protesters claim it is a blacklisted company that had been involved in fraud in several states, while the Jammu and Kashmir government maintains that the period of blacklisting was over.

The administration faced embarrassment on Wednesday after protesters questioned Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief Ravinder Raina, who took a stand against his own party’s administration.

Raina was among the first to congratulate the aspirants on Tuesday night, literally taking credit for forcing the change. BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, who backed the protesters, said he woke up to “excellent news” that the government had deferred the exams.

Valley politicians sniffed victory against the government.

“Power of J&Ks youth has forced authorities to defer exams. But this is still not enough unless APTECH isn’t removed & a thorough probe ordered along with fresh exams conducted by a credible agency. Least LG admin can do after wasting precious time of J&Ks youngsters,” Mehbooba tweeted.