The court reaffirmed that candidates participating in a selection process cannot challenge the established criteria post-participation, emphasizing adherence to statutory rules and the irrelevance of special treatment requests absent a legal basis.

ORDER :

1. The batch of writ petitions is filed to declare the action of Respondents in disqualifying the Petitioners/Home Guards in physical efficiency test treating them on par with general recruit candidates pursuant to the notification in Rc.No.161/SPPRB/Rect.2/2022 dated 28.11.2022 though the Petitioners are seeking appointment only against the quota of 1167 vacancies reserved for Home Guards and not against general vacancies, as arbitrary and illegal and for a consequential direction for fixing separate qualifying marks in the written exam and to enhance the time for physical efficiency test and to prepare a merit list for 1167 vacancies of Police Constables meant for Home Guards.

2. As the issue in these writ petitions is common, with the consent of learned counsel, the matters were taken up for hearing and are disposed of by this common order.

3. W.P.No.2258 of 2025 is taken up as lead case and the facts are as under:

The Petitioners are working as Home Guards. A notification was issued by Respondent No.2 on 28.11.2022 vide Rc.No.161/SLPRB/Rect.2/2022 proposing to fill up 6100 number of vacancies of Stipendiary Cadet Trainee (SCT) Police Constables (Civil) (Men & Women) and Stipendiary Cadet Trainee (SCT) Police Constables (APSP) (Men) in Police Department. The recruitment of posts would be made in terms of A.P.Police (Stipendiary Cadet Trainee) Rules, 1979 issued vide G.O.Ms.No.315, Home (Pol.C) Department, dated 13.10.1999 and amendments thereon.

4. The selection procedure was that initially, preliminary written test would be conducted for marks. The candidates who qualified in the preliminary written test will be informed about the dates through the website for appearing in the Physical Measurements Test (PMT)/Physical Efficiency Test (PET) along with details of venue, date and time. For Physical Measurements Test, Men should have a height of not less than 167.6 centimeters and Chest of not less than 86.3 centimeters with a minimum expansion of 5 centimeters. For Women, the height should not be less than 152.5 centimeters and weight must not be less than 40 kgs. Certain relaxed parameters were provided for candidates belonging to Scheduled Tribes and Aboriginal Tribes in the Agency areas of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari and West Godavari Districts.

5. After Physical Measurement Test, Physical Efficiency Test would be conducted to those candidates, who have qualified in Physical Measurement Test and the standards are given below:

xxx xxx xxx

6. Thereafter, the candidates who qualify in the Physical Efficiency Test shall be required to appear for final written examination and the minimum qualifying marks for OCs is 40% (including those claiming EWS reservation), 35% for BCs and 30% for SCs/STs/Ex-Servicemen.

7. The final selection will be on the basis of the relative merit obtained in the final written examination and as per the provisions of the A.P.Public Employment (Organization of Local Cadres and Regulation of Direct Recruitment) Order, 1975 and G.O.(P).No.763, General Administration (SPF.A) Department, dated 15.11.1975 as amended from time to time.

8. The grievance of the Petitioners is that they be