Applications are invited from eligible Indian male candidates for recruitment of Religious Teachers in the Indian Army as Junior Commissioned Officers. Interested and eligible candidates can visit www.joinindianarmy.nic.in. to apply for these vacancies.
Candidates finally selected will be enrolled as JCO (Religious Teacher) and will undergo 6 weeks of Basic Training at BEG and Centre, Kirkee followed by 11 weeks of training specific to religious denominations applied by him at the Institute of National Integration (INI), Pune. On successful completion of training, the candidates will be commissioned as Religious Teachers in the rank of Naib Subedar.
What is the role of Religious Teachers in the Indian Army?
Religious Teachers preach religious scriptures to troops and conduct various rituals at Regimental/Unit religious institutions. Their duties also include attending funerals, ministering to the sick in hospitals, reading prayers with the convalescents, visiting soldiers undergoing sentences, and giving special religious instructions to the children and enlisted boys besides attending generally to the religious institutions and welfare of the Officers, Soldiers and their families.
Age Limit
The cut-off date to determine the age is 1 October 2022.
Minimum Age: 25 years
Maximum Age: 36 years
In other words, Candidates born between (and including) 01 October 1986 and 30 Sep 1997 can apply for this vacancy.
One-off 2 years of age relaxation for all
Covid played havoc with the Army’s regular recruitment processes suspending it for 2 years straight (2020-21 & 2021-22). This is why the institution has decided to grant 2 years of age relaxation for the recruiting period 2022-2023 as a one-off measure.
Indian Army Religious Teachers Vacancy Details
| Post | Number of Vacancies | Remark |
| Pandit | 108 | |
| Pandit (Gorkha) for Gorkha Regiments |
5 | Hindu (Gorkha) candidates only |
| Granthi | 8 | |
| Maulvi (Sunni) | 3 | |
| Maulvi (Shia) for Ladakh Scouts | 1 | Ladakhi Muslim Shia candidates only |
| Padre | 2 | |
| Bodh Monk (Mahayana) for Ladakh Scouts |
1 |
Selection Process of Indian Army Religious Teachers Vacancy 2022
Eligible Applicants will be selected based on Screening, Written Exam and Interview
Screening: Candidates have to undergo and clear checking of the original certificate, physical fitness test, and medical examination to proceed to the next round which is the Written Exam
Written Exam: The Written Exam – to be held on 26 Feb 2023 – comprise two papers:
Paper-I (General Awareness) & Paper-II (Specific to religious denominations as applied by the candidates)
- Paper-I is a qualifying exam mandatory for all. You have to score 40 out of 100 marks to clear it. Marks obtained here will not be considered for the merit list.
- Paper II is a specific exam related to the religious denomination you have applied for. The more marks you get higher will be your rank in the merit list. It will have 50 MCQs of 2 marks each.
- Interview: You require 50 out of the total 100 marks to clear the interview.
The final selection will be based on the merit list prepared based on the total marks obtained in Paper II and Interview.
Eligibility for 128 vacancy in Army
Pandit and Pandit (Gorkha) for Gorkha Regiment:
Hindu Candidate with Shastri/Acharya in Sanskrit from UGC recognized University. In addition, individuals should have the undermentioned religious qualifications.
‘Karam Kand’ as one of the main/core subjects during Shastri/Acharya OR 1-year Diploma in ‘Karam Kand’.
Granthi:
Sikh Candidate with Graduation in any discipline from a UGC-recognized University. In addition, the candidate should have ‘Gyani’ in Punjabi.
Maulvi:
Muslim Candidate with Graduation in any discipline from a UGC-recognized University. In addition, the candidate should have Alim in Arabic or Adeeb-e-Mahir/Urdu Mahir in Urdu.
Padre:
Christian Candidate with Graduation in any discipline from a UGC-recognized University. In addition, he should have been ordained priesthood by the appropriate ecclesiastical authority and is on the approved list of the local Bishop.
Buddhist Religious Teacher:
Buddhist Candidate with Graduation in any discipline from a UGC-recognized University. In addition, an appropriate authority should have ordained individuals as Monk/Buddhist Priest. The term ‘Appropriate Authority’ will mean Head Priest of the Monastery where the person has been initiated into priesthood. The Head Priest should have Geshe (PhD) of Khanpa or Lopon or Rajbam with a proper certificate from the Monastery.
How to Apply
The process is different for all the posts mentioned. Please CLICK HERE to know How to Apply for each post.