Maharashtra gives one-time age relaxation for recruitment exams, extends concession till end-2027

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government on Thursday granted a one-time relaxation of one year in the upper age limit for candidates appearing for state recruitment examinations, extending the concession till December 31, 2027.

The decision is expected to provide relief to candidates who lost eligibility due to delays in recruitment advertisements and selection procedures.

The general administration department (GAD) announced the decision via a government resolution (GR), which said the relaxation will apply to Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) recruitment advertisements published between January 1 and November 5 this year, where the selection process has not yet begun.

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The concession will also apply to fresh recruitment advertisements issued by the MPSC between November 5 and December 31, 2027, it added.

The state government has clarified that the one-year relaxation will apply to examinations conducted by recruitment agencies other than the MPSC.

The concession will also cover posts for which the maximum age limit prescribed under the respective service recruitment rules differs from that stipulated in the government resolution dated April 25, 2016.

The GR further directed the MPSC to take necessary steps to provide a one-time opportunity to candidates who become eligible for recruitment under the relaxation but could not submit their applications earlier.

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However, the concession won't apply to advertisements issued on or after January 1, 2028, and the existing upper age limit prescribed under the respective service recruitment rules or the April 25, 2016 GR will continue to apply to such recruitments.

The decision comes against the backdrop of repeated protests by competitive examination aspirants in Maharashtra demanding relaxation in age limit for recruitment to government posts.

In January this year, thousands of MPSC aspirants staged demonstrations in Pune ahead of the Group-B non-gazetted preliminary examination, demanding a one-year relaxation in the upper age limit for Police Sub-Inspector recruitment.

The agitation was triggered by delays in issuing recruitment advertisements, which candidates said had rendered several otherwise eligible aspirants overage. Protesters had also sought that the age calculation cut-off be revised to January 1, 2025.

Earlier, in December 2024, the state had announced a similar one-time relaxation for MPSC recruitment following delays in the selection process linked to changes in reservation arrangements.

"The concession is being considered in connection with recommendations made by a high-level committee constituted to comprehensively examine the state's existing recruitment examination system and suggest necessary reforms," the GR issued on Thursday said.