CHENNAI: With the Covid-era age relaxation for government recruitment set to expire on September 12, a section of aspirants has urged the state to extend the concession, stating that the upcoming Tamil Nadu Uniformed Services Recruitment Board (TNUSRB) notifications could render thousands ineligible.
The demand assumes significance as the TNUSRB’s annual planner for 2026 tentatively schedules the joint recruitment notification in November, after the relaxation window ends.
The concession was introduced through a Government Order (G.O.), issued by the Human Resource Management Department on September 13, 2021, granting a two-year relaxation in the upper age limit for direct recruitment.
Under the order, the upper age limit for general category candidates in TNUSRB recruitment was raised from 28 to 30 years, for BC, MBC and DNC candidates from 30 to 32 years, and for SC/ST candidates from 33 to 35 years.
However, a clarification letter issued by the HRM Department’s Welfare Section on May 6, 2025, stated that the relaxation would apply only to notifications issued between September 13, 2021, and September 12, 2026. Aspirants alleged that recruitment delays during and after the pandemic deprived many candidates of job opportunities.
They also pointed to delays in the 2024 sub-inspector (SI) recruitment process. Though the notification was issued in June 2024 and the written examination was conducted in December 2025, the results are yet to be declared.
According to representations made to govt, around 46,000 police vacancies were notified between 2016 -2020, but only nearly 10,000 posts have been filled since 2021. “I have been preparing for four years. I once missed out on the selection by just one mark and had to wait another year.
We need the same age relaxation that other states are providing,” said M Dineshkumar, 29, an aspirant from Madurai. The Tamil Nadu Competitive Exam Aspirants Federation has also sought annual recruitment calendars, roster-based transparency in results, and appointment of a dedicated grievance redressal officer.
A senior TNUSRB official told TNIE that the 2024 SI recruitment results have been delayed due to a pending court case. “The results will be released once the case is resolved. As for age relaxation, whatever date the G.O. prescribes will apply. Whether it will be extended further or not, clarification will be sought from the government,” the official said.