APHC010256092025 IN THE HIGH COURT OF ANDHRA PRADESH AT AMARAVATI [3446]

(Special Original Jurisdiction)

THURSDAY, THE EIGHTH DAY OF MAY TWO THOUSAND AND TWENTY FIVE PRESENT HONOURABLE THE CHIEF JUSTICE DHIRAJ SINGH THAKUR THE HONOURABLE SRI JUSTICE R RAGHUNANDAN RAO WRIT PETITION NO: 12990/2025 Between:

Pobakula Sreenivasulu ...PETITIONER AND The State Of Andhra Pradesh and Others ...RESPONDENT(S)

Counsel for the Petitioner:

1. CKR ASSOCIATES Counsel for the Respondent(S):

1. GP FOR SERVICES II The Court made the following Order:

(Per Hon’ble Sri Justice R. Raghunandan Rao)

Heard Sri S.V.S.S. Siva Ram, learned counsel appearing for the petitioner, and learned G.P. for Services-II, appearing for the respondents.

2. The petitioner herein was appointed as a Post Graduate Teacher in A.P Model School, Seetharampuram, SPSR Nellore District, by way of proceedings, dated 22.12.2019.

3. The Government of A.P. issued The Andhra Pradesh Teacher Recruitment Test Rules for the posts of Principals, Post Graduate Teachers (PGTs), Trained Graduate Teachers (TGTs), Physical Directors (PDs) and physical Education Teachers (PET) Scheme of Selection Rules, 2025 (for short ‘the Rules’) by way of G.O.Ms.No.16, dated 19.04.2025. On the next day, i.e., on 20.04.2025, Notification No.02/MEGA DSC-TRC-1/2025, was issued for recruitment of Principals, Post Graduate Teachers and other Teachers specified in the notification. This notification, also stipulated that only persons, who are not less than 18 years of age and not more than 44 years of age, as on 01.07.2024, would be eligible for recruitment for any of the posts set out in the notification. Certain relaxations were given in terms of maximum age, to the persons belonging to SC/ST/BC/EWS categories as also the persons with bench mark disabilities. Rule 11, of the Rules also specified the same age limits.

4. It may also be noted that the Government had earlier issued a notification, dated 12.02.2024, by way of G.O.Ms.No.12, dated 15.04.2025, for taking up recruitment of same posts. However, this notification stood cancelled after applications had been received. The notification, dated 20.04.2025, permitted candidates, who had applied under the earlier notification to re-apply for the same post without any payment. However, payment of fees would become necessary, if a candidate was applying for a different post.

5. The petitioner herein, after applying for the post of Principal under the earlier notification, had sought to challenge the age limits, by way of W.P.No.7949 of 2024, before this Court. By way of an interlocutory order, dated 02.04.2024, a Division Bench of this Court, had permitted the petitioner to participate in the selection process, despite crossing the age of 44 years.

6. The petitioner has again challenged the age limits set out in Rule

11 of the Rules, as well as the condition of eligibility set out in the notification, dated 20.04.2025.

7. The main contention of the petitioner is that though applications have been sought for appointment to different categories of posts, the age limit for all the posts, specified in the notification, is the same and such a uniform stipulation is arbitrary and violative of Article 14 of the Constitution of India.

8. Sri S.V.V.S.S. Siva Ram, learned counsel appearing for the petitioner, would contend that the minimum qualification for applying for the post of Principal is 5 years experience, as a Post Graduate Teacher. Such qualification cannot be obtained by a person, who has just crossed the age of 18 years and obviously different age limits would have to be fixed for different posts. The learned counsel would urge this Court, to strike down the condition in the notification, as well as Rule 11 of the Rules, on the ground that the same age limits could not have been prescribed for different kinds of posts.

9. The petitioner is said to have crossed the age of 44 years before

01.07.2024 and consequently, became ineligible for being considered for the post of Principal