Reserved-category candidates above general cut-off to be treated as unreserved at screening stage: Allahabad HC

The Allahabad High Court has ruled that reserved-category candidates who score above the general category cut-off without using any relaxation in qualifying standards must be treated as unreserved candidates at the screening stage.

A Lucknow bench of Justices Rajan Roy and Manjive Shukla passed the order while allowing a special appeal filed by Bhavna Yadav and others. The case concerns recruitment for the post of Swasthya Shiksha Adhikari through the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC).

The dispute relates to a UPPSC recruitment advertisement issued on Dec 22, 2025. The advertisement stated that reserved-category candidates could be adjusted against unreserved vacancies only at the final selection stage if they had not availed themselves of any concession in the qualifying standard during screening.

The petitioners challenged this condition along with a related office memorandum.

The court noted that the screening examination plays a substantial role in the recruitment process because it accounts for 75% of the total marks. The interview carries the remaining 25% under the applicable recruitment rules.

The bench examined Section 3(6) of the Uttar Pradesh Public Services (Reservation for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes) Act, 1994, which governs the issue of adjustment of reserved-category candidates against unreserved vacancies.

The court held that the provision does not limit the movement of meritorious reserved-category candidates into the unreserved category to the final selection stage.

The bench consequently set aside the condition included in the recruitment advertisement and held that the office memorandum would not apply to the recruitment in question.

The ruling distinguishes candidates who qualify on merit without using any relaxation from those who use concessions available under reservation provisions.

The court's interpretation allows candidates from reserved categories who meet the general category cut-off without relaxation to be considered against unreserved vacancies at the screening stage.

The court has directed UPPSC to review the applicability of the office memorandum within three months. The Uttar Pradesh government has also been asked to formulate and clarify its policy on the issue within the same period.

The directions were issued in the context of the Swasthya Shiksha Adhikari recruitment and address the stage at which meritorious reserved-category candidates can be considered for unreserved vacancies.

The decision also requires the relevant authorities to follow the distinction between candidates qualifying through open competition without relaxation and candidates who benefit from reservation-related concessions during the recruitment process.