Andhra Pradesh High Court
WP/27119/2025 of L ARCHANA Vs THE STATE OF AP on 29 January 2026
IN THE HIGH COURT OF ANDHRA PRADESH AT AMARAVATI (Special Original Jurisdiction) [3208] FRIDAY, THE THIRTIETH DAY OF JANUARY TWO THOUSAND AND TWENTY SIX PRESENT THE HONOURABLE SRI JUSTICE D RAMESH WRIT PETITION NO: 27119/2025 Between: 1. L ARCHANA, D/O. SUBRAMANYAM , R/O. 5-22-26B,
APHC010510312025
IN THE HIGH COURT OF ANDHRA
PRADESH
AT AMARAVATI
(Special Original Jurisdiction)
FRIDAY,THE THIRTIETH DAY OF JANUARY
TWO THOUSAND AND TWENTY SIX
PRESENT
THE HONOURABLE SRI JUSTICE D RAMESH
WRIT PETITION NO: 27119/2025
Between:
1. L ARCHANA, D/O. SUBRAMANYAM , R/O. 5-22-26B, ITHANAGAR, TENALI GUNTUR DISTRICT, A.P- 522 201.
...PETITIONER
AND
1. THE STATE OF AP, REP. BY ITS, PRINCIPAL
SECRETARY, YOUTH ADVANCEMENT, TOURISM AND
CULTURE DEPART., A.P SECRETARIAT, VELAGAPUDI, GUNTUR DIST-522237.
2. ANDHRA PRADESH PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION, REPRESENTED BY ITS SECRETARY, NEW GOVT
OFFICES BUILDING, SECOND FLOOR, MG ROAD, OPP- INDIRA GANDHI MUNICIPAL COMPLEX, VIJAYAWADA-
520010.
3. MANAGING
DIRECTOR,
SPORTS
AUTHORITY
OF
ANDHRA PRADESH, OPP-INDIRA GANDHI MUNICIPAL
COMPLEX, VIJAYAWADA-52001
...RESPONDENT(S):
Counsel for the Petitioner:
1. HARSHA VARDHANA RAO C
Counsel for the Respondent(S):
1. GP FOR SERVICES I
2. V.VENKATA NAGA RAJU (SC FOR APPSC)
3. G SAI NARAYANA RAO SC For SAAP
The Court made the following:
THE HONOURABLE SRI JUSTICE D.RAMESH
WRIT PETITION No.27119 of 2025
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ORDER:
The present writ petition is filed seeking the following relief: “….to Issue a Writ, Order or Direction more particularly one in the nature of Mandamus declaring the action of the Respondents in rejecting the Petitioners sports certificate obtained in the XXIV Andhra Pradesh State Shooting Championship Competitions, 2024 and Inter District Shooting Competition, 2024, as illegal, arbitrary, unjust and violative of Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution of India….”
2. Heard Sri C.Harshavardhana Rao, learned counsel for the petitioner and learned Standing Counsel appearing on behalf of the APPSC.
3. Considering the submissions, this Court has passed the following orders on 08.01.2026:
“In a batch of cases with regard to appointment in Mega DSC-2025 Notification, this Court passed a detailed interim order on 24.09.2025 directing the Grievance Committee which was constituted vide Memo No.2984388/Services.I/A1/2025-1, dated 24.09.2025, exclusively to consider the grievances of individuals with reference to appointments under Mega-DSC Notification.
By oversight, this Writ Petition i.e., W.P.No.27119 of 2025 was included in the said batch of Writ Petitions. As the interim order dated 24.09.2025 is only with regard to grievances under Mega-DSC-2025 Notification only and not with reference to recruitment notifications issued by APPSC, this Writ Petition was de-tagged from the batch order dated 24.09.2025. In the present Writ Petition, the Petitioner is questioning the rejection of Sports Certificate of the Petitioner obtained in XXIV Andhra Pradesh State Shooting Championship Competitions, 2024 and Inter District Shooting Competitions, 2024. The rejection is on the ground that the Petitioner has participated in the said competitions subsequent to the date of Notification i.e. on 07.12.2023. The learned counsel for the Petitioner would submit that there is no bar for an individual to produce the Sports Certificate subsequent to the date of Notification. The learned counsel further submits that the Petitioner is aspiring for the post of Assistant Section Officer in Law Department Considering the submissions made, there is some merit in the submission of the learned counsel for the Petitioner as long as Sports Certificates are genuine and produced before the date of verification of the certificates specified under the Notification, there is no bar for the Respondents to examine the same.
The idea of Sports Quota is to provide employment to the meritorious Sports Persons. The ground that the Sports Certificate is subsequent to the date of Notification prima facie appears to be unsustainable. Therefore, there shall be interim direction to the Respondents to reserve one post for the Petitioner to which the Petitioner is aspiring i.e. Assistant Section Officer in Law Department pending further orders. Post this case on 22.01.2026 along with W.P.No.25040 of 2025.”
4. The sole ground raised by the petitioner is that the respondents have rejected the certificate of merit Silver Medal in Inter-District Shooting Competition held on 12th – 13th August, 2024 at Anantha Lakshmi International School on the ground that as the notification was issued on 07.12.2023 inviting applications for Group-II posts including Law Assistant. But the petitioner has obtained a certificate of Silver Medal in Inter-District Shooting Competition held on 12th – 13th August, 2024. As the respondents have not considered the said application on the ground that the said medal has obtained subsequent to the notification.
5. Learned counsel for the petitioner has submitted that as per the rules of the UPSC, the date of consideration is relevant and not as the date of notification. In the instant case, the petitioner has obtained a Medal at the time of consideration. Hence, the petitioner has requested to consider the case of the petitioner under sports category.
6. Reply to the same, learned Standing Counsel appearing on behalf of the APPSC has submitted that in fact Rule 12(3)(a) of Andhra Pradesh State and Subordinate Service Rules, 1996 (general rules) clearly stipulates a condition that a candidate should possess the academic qualifications and experience including practical experience prescribed, if any for the post on the date of the notification for direct recruitment issued by the concerned recruiting agency and in fact a total of 370 candidates including the petitioner herein who claimed sports reservation and secured minimum qualifying marks (40%) are short listed for verification of original certificates under sports quota and the certificate provided by the petitioner was forwarded on 01.05.2025 and 16.05.2025 to Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh and the 3rd respondent has communicated the tentative priority list to the 2nd respondent on 13.08.2025 and in fact as per the objections raised by the others and also the grievances of all participants the Sports Authority of India finally prepared the priority list and accordingly, the 3rd respondent herein has not assigned any priority to the petitioner as she has participated in the event after the notification published. In fact, on perusal of the documents, it shows that the petitioner has participated in the selection process and obtained a Medal subsequent to the notification. According to the general rules, as the claim made by the petitioner based on the certificate obtained subsequent to the notification is rightly rejected by the Sports Authority by not including the name of the petitioner. Hence, this Court is not inclined to interfere in this matter.
7. Accordingly, the Writ Petition is dismissed. Interim orders are vacated. There shall be no order as to costs. As a sequel, miscellaneous petitions pending, if any, shall stand closed. _______________________ JUSTICE D.RAMESH
Date: 30.01.2026 Ivd
THE HONOURABLE SRI JUSTICE D.RAMESH
WRIT PETITION No.27119 of 2025
Dated: 30.01.2026
Ivd