Stay on UPPSC APO Mains Result: Result withheld pending Allahabad High Court verdict; final list for PCS-2025 also on hold..

APO Main Result, Allahabad High Court: There is a significant update for candidates who appeared in the Assistant Prosecution Officer (APO) recruitment examination in Uttar Pradesh. The Allahabad High Court has directed the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) not to release the results of the APO Main examination until the court delivers its verdict. In the same matter, the court has also stayed the release of the final list for PCS-2025. Let us understand the reasons behind this High Court decision further in the article.

What is the entire matter?
Essentially, this entire issue pertains to 'Meritorious Reserved Category' (MRC) candidates. The petitioners allege that certain OBC category candidates, who secured marks higher than the General (Unreserved/UR) category cutoff, were not included in the General category. A petition regarding this issue was filed in the High Court.

Who filed the petition?
A bench presided over by Justice Manish Kumar Nigam heard petitions related to UP PCS-2024, PCS-2025, and APO-2025. These petitions were filed by candidates including Pankaj Verma and others, as well as petitioners including Sanjay Kumar and others.

During the hearing, the petitioners raised the question: if a reserved category candidate secures marks equal to or higher than the General category cutoff without availing any relaxation or reservation benefits, why are they not being included in the open or unreserved category? The petitioners termed this an issue concerning the constitutional principles of equal opportunity and equality.

Against the rules and spirit of the Constitution
Lawyers representing the petitioners argued that excluding such meritorious reserved category candidates from the open merit list violates reservation rules and goes against the spirit of the Constitution. They also raised issues regarding alleged irregularities in Section 3(6) of the UP Public Services (Reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes) Act, 1994, the Office Memorandum dated January 9, 2020, and the terms of the PCS-2025 advertisement.

During the hearing, the Court was informed that the APO Mains examination had concluded and the results could be declared soon. Consequently, the Court directed the Commission not to release the results until a verdict is delivered.