HC quashes Pre-21 results, asks UPPSC to allow 5% quota to ex-servicemen in Group B, C posts


Prayagraj: Quashing the results of PCS pre-2021, the Allahabad high court has directed the secretary of Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) to give benefit of 5% reservation to ex-army personnel on group-B and group-C posts and issue the results afresh within one month. After this, the main written examination and interview would be held afresh. The commission had started conducting interviews from July 21. But it will be held again.

While allowing the writ petition filed by four junior commissioned officers, Satish Chandra Shukla and three others, who retired from the army after completing the required number of years of service, Justice Sangeeta Chandra observed, “The results declared for preliminary examination without giving benefit of reservation to ex-army men are vitiated and quashed.”

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“Consequently, the UPPSC is directed to re-calibrate the result of the preliminary examination and give the benefit of reservation to ex-army personnel on group-B and group-C posts. After publication of preliminary examination results within one month, admit cards be issued for the main written examination accordingly and results thereof be declared giving 5% reservation on group-B and group-C posts as well to ex-army personnel,” the court further directed in its judgment dated August 2.
In the present writ petition, the petitioner had requested the court for a direction to be issued to the UPPSC to implement 5% reservation for ex-servicemen in the ongoing selection process for the Combined State Upper Subordinate Services (PCS) Examination-2021 and Assistant Conservator of Forest/Range Forest Officer Services Examination-2021.

The PCS-2021 advertisement was released on February 5, 2021. The last date for online application was March 5, 2021, which was later extended to March 17, 2021.

Meanwhile, an amendment regarding 5% reservation for the ex-servicemen was notified on March 3, 2021.

The petitioners said that despite the publication of the notification before the last date of application, the UPPSC refused to give the benefit of reservation to the ex-servicemen.

The high court, while allowing the petition, said that when the 2021 amendment was notified, the online form filing portal was open till March 17, 2021. In such a situation, had the commission been cautious, it could have given the benefit of reservation to group-B and group-C.

On December 1, 2021, UPPSC declared the results of the preliminary examination in which 7,688 candidates were declared successful. A total of 3,21,273 out of the registered 6,91,173 candidates had appeared in the PCS (preliminary) Examination-2021 held at 1,505 examination centres in 31 districts of the state on October 24, 2021.

The commission had then conducted PCS (mains)-2021 for candidates declared qualified in the preliminary exam at centres in Lucknow, Prayagraj and Ghaziabad between March 23 and 27, 2022 in which 5,957 candidates had appeared. The result of PCS (mains)-2021 was declared on July 12, 2022. A total of 1,285 candidates were declared successful in the mains examination for recruitment against 623 posts on offer.

After announcing the interview schedule for Combined State/Upper Subordinate Services Examination-2021, commonly known as PCS-2021, the commission had started interviews of the candidates on July 21 and is to complete it on August 5. Now, both the main written examination and interview would be held again after fresh preliminary examination results are announced.