Disclaimer: This has been reported after the availability of the order of the Court and not on media reports so as to give an accurate report to our readers.
Allahabad High Court: In a writ petition filed by a candidate challenging the rejection of her candidature for the Assistant Prosecution Officer (APO) 2025 Mains examination, scheduled 3 hours later on the same day, the Single Judge Bench of Amitabh Kumar Rai, J., granted interim relief by directing the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) to provisionally permit the petitioner to appear in the Mains examination. The Court observed that the petitioner’s candidature had been rejected solely on the ground of non-submission of the hard copy of the application form, despite the fact that her submission of the online application was undisputed.
Background
The petitioner qualified the Preliminary examination for recruitment to the post of APO 2025, thereafter she submitted the online application form for the Mains examination and dispatched the printed copy of the application form along with all self-attested academic documents through speed post on 17 May 2026, within the prescribed time. However, by order dated 11 June 2026, the UPPSC rejected her candidature solely on the ground that she had not submitted the hard copy of the online application form.
Placing reliance on the Court’s earlier order in a similar matter, the petitioner contended that she was entitled to the same interim relief. The UPPSC did not dispute that the present case stood on the same footing.
Analysis and decision
The Court noted the statement made on behalf of the UPPSC, that necessary arrangements could be made to permit the petitioner to provisionally appear in the Mains examination, as the authorities had already been informed of the pendency and urgent listing of the matter.
“The petitioner shall be provisionally permitted to appear in the Mains Examination, which is scheduled to be held today starting at 9:00 a.m.”
Considering the urgency of the case and the fact that the Mains examination was scheduled to commence the same day, the Court directed that the petitioner be provisionally permitted to appear in the examination, subject to further orders in the writ petition.
The Court noted that the petitioner’s submission of the online application form for the APO 2025 Mains examination was not disputed by the UPPSC and therefore, observed that her candidature had been rejected solely on the ground that she had not submitted the hard copy of the application form. Accordingly, considering the urgency of the matter, the Court permitted her to provisionally appear in the Mains examination and directed the UPPSC to take immediate steps to ensure that the petitioner was allowed to appear at an examination centre in Lucknow. Thereafter, the Court granted time for filing the counter-affidavit and rejoinder and permitted the petitioner to challenge the rejection order dated 11 June 2026 by filing an appropriate amendment application.
[Shalini Pandey v. State of U.P., WRIA No. 6252 of 2026, decided on 28-6-2026]
Advocates who appeared in this case:
For the petitioner: Anurag Tripathi
For the respondent: Nishant Shukla C.S.C., Raj Kumar Upadhyaya (UPPSC)
