Allahabad High Court Dismisses Appeal Seeking Migration of Reserved Category Candidates to General Category in APO Prelims 2025

Allahabad High Court Refuses to Interfere with Single Judge's Order in APO Preliminary Examination Case

The Allahabad High Court has dismissed a special appeal challenging the results of the Assistant Prosecution Officer (APO) Preliminary Examination 2025 conducted by the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC).

A Division Bench comprising Justice J.J. Munir and Justice Arun Kumar refused to interfere with the order passed by a Single Judge Bench concerning the issue of migration of meritorious reserved category candidates to the unreserved category.

Background of the Case

The appellants had challenged the APO Preliminary Examination 2025 result declared by UPPSC on 30 April 2025. They contended that candidates belonging to reserved categories who had secured marks higher than the cut-off prescribed for the unreserved category should have been migrated to the general category.

According to the petitioners, failure to migrate such candidates adversely affected the selection process and reduced opportunities available to candidates belonging to the reserved categories.

Division Bench's Observations

After hearing the appeal, the Division Bench observed that the Single Judge had merely sought a response from the concerned authorities and had postponed consideration of interim relief. Such an order was procedural in nature and could not be treated as a final adjudication of rights.

The Court held that since the order under challenge was not a final decision on the merits of the dispute, no interference was warranted in the special appeal.

Consequently, the appeal was dismissed.

Petitioners' Concerns

The petitioners argued that the issue required urgent consideration because the APO Main Examination 2025 is scheduled to be conducted from 28 June to 30 June 2026.

Their counsel submitted that if the matter remained pending and candidates were not allowed to participate in the main examination, the very purpose of the petition could become ineffective.

The petitioners maintained that reserved category candidates who scored above the unreserved cut-off should be counted against general category vacancies in accordance with established reservation principles.

Significance of the Case

The dispute relates to the principle of migration of meritorious reserved category candidates, a recurring issue in public recruitment examinations. The principle generally concerns whether candidates belonging to reserved categories who secure marks higher than the general category cut-off should be adjusted against unreserved seats without affecting the quota reserved for their respective categories.

The High Court's latest order does not decide the merits of the controversy but only holds that the procedural order of the Single Judge does not warrant appellate interference at this stage.

The substantive issues raised by the petitioners may still be considered in the pending proceedings before the appropriate bench.

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