In a good move aimed at pacifying the agitating aspirants, the J&K administration has deferred the exams for various posts following massive uproar against the Mumbai-based tainted consultancy which was hired by Jammu Kashmir Service Selection B0ard to conduct the exam. The board said that the Computer Based Examinations for the posts of Junior Engineers and Sub Inspectors have been deferred till further orders. The move comes days after questions were raised by the aspirants about the logic behind hiring the consultancy for conducting the exam which was found to be involved in irregularities in the first place. It has to be noted here that Aptech Limited, the company which is at the heart of the row in Jammu and Kashmir, has been blacklisted by several states including Uttar Pradesh and New Delhi, and even by J&K. So it was natural for the aspirants to raise questions about giving the contract of exams to a tainted firm. A single bench of Jammu and Kashmir High Court had decided in favour of the aspirants and asked to cancel the exam but a bigger, double bench had allowed Aptech Limited to go ahead with the exams, except that its results were to be withheld till the court decided on the issue. However, the matter has also reached the Supreme Court where a plea has been filed which challenges the double-bench judgement of J&K HC. The administration of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has been all along stating that there will be complete transparency in the recruitment process and no one will be allowed to play with the careers of J&K’s future generations. Pertinent to mention here that following the irregularities in previous exams to SI and JE posts, the administration had ordered a speedy probe following which the case was handed over to the premier Central Bureau of Investigation. On Tuesday, March 14, Sinha assured that the administration was open to suggestions. He had said that a deliberate attempt was being made by “vested interest” to stop recruitments in Jammu and Kashmir while assuring that the grievances of the aspirants will be taken into consideration. The decision to defer the exam shows that the administration is serious about taking care of its people and their grievances. It shows that in a democratic society, it is ultimately the will of the people which prevails. The decision to defer the exam shows that democracy is thriving in Jammu and Kashmir.