Srinagar, Apr 28: With J&K’s former chief secretary BR Sharma completing his term as head of the Union Territory’s Public Service Commission, the prestigious recruitment body is set to face dearth of members as five out of nine members have completed their respective term in the past four months.

Sharma, who was appointed as head of the Public Service Commission by Lieutenant Governor Girish Chandra Murmu in May 2020, completed his term as chairman of Public Service Commission on Tuesday (April 26).

Sharma is the 5th member of PSC to complete his term since January 2022, leaving the commission constituted in 2020 with only four members.

All five completed retired as PSC members as they cannot hold the office beyond 62 years of age due to terms and conditions governing the coveted positions.

Under the Constitution of India, a member of the State Public Service Commission shall hold the office for a term of six years or till the age of 62 years, whichever is earlier.

Before August 5, 2019, the appointment and retirement of PSC members was governed by the Constitution of Jammu & Kashmir, which allowed members to hold the office for a term of five years or till the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.

The commission was packed with nine members when it was constituted in 2020.

Details reveal that Syed Iqbal Aga and Sameer Bharati completed their term respectively on January 15 and 28.

After them, Des Raj Gupta completed his stint on March 28.

On April 04, Prof. Showkat Ahmad Zargar completed his stint as PSC member on April 3.

Farooq Lone, who was appointed as interim head of the commission, is retiring after four weeks.

Lone, who served as administrative secretary General Administration Department, is completing his term on June 1.

After Lone’s exit, Des Raj Gupta would retire as a member of the prestigious body on December 25 this year.

The only two members who wouldn’t retire in 2022 are Afhad-ul-Mujataba and Zubair Ahmad Raza. While Mujataba would complete his term on February 11, 2023, Raza would hang up his boots on January 10, 2024. kno