“You have got date wrong”: CM Omar Abdullah fact checks JP Nadda over 2022 J-K SSB paper leak, seeks update on probe panel

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], July 23 (ANI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday fact-checked Union Minister JP Nadda over the Jammu and Kashmir Service Selection Board (JKSSB) paper leak, saying the incident took place in 2022 and not under the NC-Congress government, while seeking an update on the high-level committee constituted to probe the matter.
In a post on X, Abdullah said Nadda was "absolutely correct" about the paper leak but had got the date wrong.
"You are absolutely correct about the SSB paper leak in Jammu and Kashmir, JP Nadda ji, but you have got the date wrong. It was 2022. The government wasn't of NC & Congress. It was a government headed by Lt. Governor but thank you for reminding everyone of this failure. It involved these observations & orders of the J&K High Court. We have no idea what happened to the High Level Committee or its report. Perhaps you can share that with us in your next press conference," Abdullah wrote.

You are absolutely correct about the SSB paper leak in J&K @JPNadda ji but you have got the date wrong. It was 2022. The government wasn’t of NC & Congress. It was a government headed by Lt. Governor but thank you for reminding everyone of this failure. It involved these… https://t.co/E8WHAJ0qCD pic.twitter.com/PsdaiJ2Uzx

— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) July 23, 2026

Abdullah also shared a copy of the J-K High Court order in Writ Petition (Civil). The court, in its order, observed that the decision involving Aptech Limited was "malafide" and that the change in the conditions of the tender was intended to favour the Respondent.
Jammu and Kashmir remained under Lieutenant Governor's administration after the abrogation of its special constitutional status in 2019. An elected government headed by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah assumed office in October 2024 after the Assembly elections.
On March 22, the JKSSB conducted written examinations for 1,200 Sub-Inspector posts, along with exams for Finance Accounts Assistants (FAA) and Junior Engineers (JE). After the results were announced in June 2022, students staged widespread protests, alleging an unusually high selection rate from certain districts, including Jammu, Kathua and Reasi.
Following the findings of a government-appointed Inquiry Committee in July 2022, the Jammu and Kashmir administration cancelled the selection lists for 1,200 Sub-Inspectors, 1,300 Junior Engineers and 1,000 Finance Accounts Assistants.
Abdullah's remarks came in response to Nadda's comments on the SSB paper leak on Thursday, with the Chief Minister seeking clarity on the status of the high-level committee and its report. The exchange came amid an ongoing CJP protest at Jantar Mantar, which led to a political tussle over NEET examination paper leaks.
Earlier, Union Health Minister JP Nadda on wednesday questioned Congress leader and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi over what he termed his "selective" approach to the issue of NEET paper leaks, citing the alleged leak in the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB) examination.
Addressing the press conference, Nadda said, "If I talk about the paper leak in the Service Selection Board examination in Jammu and Kashmir, where the government is of the Congress and the NC of the National Conference."
He questioned why Rahul Gandhi had not raised similar issues concerning the Congress and its allies. "I'd like to ask the LoP Rahul Gandhi, why are you so selective? Why haven't you discussed the UPA and UPA-supported governments? Why have you distanced yourself from them?" Nadda said.
"This clearly shows that your objective isn't the welfare of students. Your objective is to improve education, improve the quality of education, and ensure justice for students. You're not interested in this. You want to gain political mileage from student issues and demands. You want to make political gains, which is unfortunate," he added. (ANI)