APHC010570702023 IN THE HIGH COURT OF ANDHRA PRADESH AT AMARAVATI [3208]

(Special Original Jurisdiction)

FRIDAY,THE SIXTH DAY OF FEBRUARY TWO THOUSAND AND TWENTY SIX PRESENT THE HONOURABLE SRI JUSTICE D RAMESH WRIT PETITION NO: 29523/2023 Between:

1. M VEERA SIVA NAGA RAJU, S/O. BHASKARA RAO, AGED ABOUT 28 YEARS, R/O. D.NO.2-2, KONIKEPUDI VILLAGE, PEDANA MANDAL, KRISHNA DISTRICT - 521366

2. K . APPARAO,, S/O. SURI BABU AGED ABOUT 35 YEARS, R/O.

D. NO. 7-32, RAMAJOGI PALEM, CHAKIPALLI POST, CHOWDAVARAM MANDAL, PRESENT ANAKAPALLI DISTRICT.

(OLD VISAKHAPATNAM DISTRICT)-531036

3. A . SATHEESH KUMAR, A. SATHEESH KUMAR S/O. KANTHI RAJU, AGED ABOUT 30 YEARS, R/O. POSASLAGARUVU VILLAGE, HUKUMPETA MANDAL, PRESENT ALLURI SEETHARAMARAJU DISTRICT PREVIOUS VISAKHAPATNAM DISTRICT

4. B . SYAM BABU,, S/O. SUBBA RAO AGED ABOUT 35 YEARS, R/O. 3-14, NEELLACHERUVU STREET, VALLURUPALLI VILLAGE, PENTAPADU MANDAL, WEST GODAVARI DISTRICT-

534166

5. M . DURGA PRASAD,, S/O. LAKSHMANA RAO, AGED ABOUT 24 YEARS, R/O. D. NO. 4-174, MAIN CENTRE, T. NARASAPURAM VILLAGE, MANDAL WEST GODAVARI DISTRICT ...PETITIONER(S)

AND

1. T HE STATE OF ANDHRA PRADESH, REP BY ITS PRINCIPAL SECRETARY, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY DAIRY DEVELOPMENT AND FISHERIES DEPARTMENT SECRETARIAT VELAGAPUDI GUNTUR DISTRICT

2. T HE DIRECTOR OF ANIMAL HUSBANDRY, DAIRY DEVELOPMENT AND FISHERIES STATE OF ANDHRA PRADESH NTR VSSH CAMPUS, LABBIPET VIJAYAWADA KRISHNA DISTRICT

3. T HE DISTRICT SELECTION COMMITTEE, REP BY ITS CHAIRMAN/DIST. COLLECTOR KRISHNA DISTRICT, AT VIJAYAWADA

4. T HE DISTRICT SELECTION COMMITTEE, REP BY ITS CHAIRMAN/DIST. COLLECTOR WEST GODAVARI DISTRICT, AT ELURU

5. T HE DISTRICT SELECTION COMMITTEE, REP BY ITS CHAIRMAN/DISTRICT COLLECTOR VISAKHAPATNAM DISTRICT, 6. T HE JOINT DIRECTOR, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY, KRISHNA DISTRICT AT VIJAYAWADA

7. T HE JOINT DIRECTOR, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY WEST GODAVARI DISTRICT, ELURU

8. T HE JOINT DIRECTOR, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY VISAKHAPATNAM DISTRICT AT VISAKHAPATNAM ...RESPONDENT(S):

This Court made the following ORDER:

1. This Writ Petition is filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India by the Petitioners for the following relief:

“to issue a Writ order or direction, more particularly one in the nature of Writ of Mandamus declaring inaction of the respondents herein not considering the petitioner's claim for appointment to the posts of Animal Husbandry Assistant AHA as per the merit obtained in the selection process following the Notification No 1/2020 dated 10012020 as discriminatory, illegal, arbitrary and in violation of Article 14 of the Constitution of India and consequentially the Hon'ble Court may be pleased to direct the respondents herein to consider the petitioner's on par with the candidates in W.P. No. 33537 of 2022 for appointment to the posts of Animal Husbandry Assistants in the existing vacancies in their respective Districts and pass….”

2. Heard the learned counsel for the petitioners and the learned counsel for the respondents.

3. The case of the petitioners is that the 1st petitioner belongs to the BC-B category and is a local candidate of Krishna District, the 2^nd petitioner belongs to the SC category and is a local candidate of Visakhapatnam District, the 3^rd petitioner belongs to the ST category and is a local candidate of Visakhapatnam District, the 4^th petitioner belongs to the SC category and is a local candidate of West Godavari District; and the 5^th petitioner belongs to the SC category and is a local candidate of West Godavari District. All the petitioners, after completing their SSC, completed the two-year Intermediate Vocational Course in Dairying (Dairy) Science within the relevant period and secured higher cumulative grade points, thereby fulfilling the eligibility criteria prescribed for the post of Animal Husbandry Assistant (AHA). The 1^st respondent issued a common Notification No.1/2020 dated 10-01-2020 inviting applications for recruitment to 6,858 posts of Animal Husbandry Assistants in the State of Andhra Pradesh. The said post is a district c