$~74 * IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI + W.P.(C) 1795/2026 BANSHI DHAR & ORS. .....Petitioners Through: Ms. Nikita Sharma, Mr. Akshay Mishra and Ms. Deepali Anand, Advocates.

versus AIRPORTS AUTHORITY OF INDIA & ANR. .....Respondents Through: Mr. Vikrant Nilesh Goyal, SPC with Ms. Laavanya Kaushik, GP with Mr.

Yash Basoya and Ms. Khyaati Bansal, Advocates for R-2.

Mr. Digvijay Rai and Mr. Archit Mishra, Advocates for R-1.

CORAM:

HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE SANJEEV NARULA

O R D E R

% 09.02.2026

1. This writ petition seeks issuance of a direction to the Respondents to treat the Petitioners as candidates belonging to the Other Backward Classes (Non-Creamy Layer), “OBC-NCL” category on the basis of their OBC certificates and to issue consequential orders pursuant to the selection process undertaken by the Respondents.

2. The factual matrix, in brief, is that Respondent No. 1 issued an advertisement in January, 2025 inviting applications for recruitment to the post of Junior Assistant (Fire Service), prescribing 5^th March, 2025 as the last date for submission of online applications. The advertisement

specifically mandated that all candidates upload their eligibility documents along with the application form. The Petitioners applied under the OBC- NCL category and uploaded OBC-NCL certificates in support of their claim. The advertisement expressly required that the OBC-NCL certificate pertain to the Financial Year 2024-2025, which was to be uploaded along with the application on or before 5^th March, 2025. However, Petitioner No. 1 (Banshi Dhar) uploaded a certificate dated 21^st December, 2022; Petitioner No. 2 (Ankit Bijarnia) uploaded a certificate dated 14^th March, 2024; and Petitioner No. 3 (Aman Nunia) uploaded a certificate dated 12^th July, 2022, all of which fell outside the prescribed financial year.

3. The Petitioners thereafter appeared in the Computer Based Test, wherein they secured 88, 83 and 78 marks respectively. The cut-off prescribed for the OBC-NCL category was 70 marks. Having secured marks above the cut-off, the Petitioners were shortlisted and called for document verification. At that stage, Petitioner No. 1 submitted certificates dated 21^st July, 2025 and 10^th November, 2025; Petitioner No. 2 submitted a certificate dated 22^nd April, 2025; and Petitioner No. 3 submitted a certificate dated 24^th June, 2025. Upon scrutiny, the Petitioners were declared ineligible on the ground of non-compliance with the stipulated requirement regarding submission of a valid OBC-NCL certificate.

4. Aggrieved, the Petitioners have approached this Court. It is contended that the Petitioners are meritorious candidates, having secured marks well above the prescribed cut-off, and that their OBC-NCL status has remained unchanged over the years. Though they had annexed OBC-NCL certificates pertaining to earlier years with the application form, they have subsequently obtained fresh certificates from the competent SDM certifying that their non-creamy layer status continues. It is thus urged that their social status being undisputed, a hyper-technical view ought not to defeat their candidature, and a direction be issued to the Respondents to consider them under the OBC-NCL category and permit them to proceed further in the selection process.

5. On the other hand, Mr. Digvijay Rai, Standing Counsel for Respondent No. 1, submits that the Petitioners did not satisfy the conditions expressly stipulated in the advertisement. The cut-off date for submission of the online application, along with all requisite documents, was 5^th March, 2025. The advertisement mandated that candidates seeking reservation under the OBC-NCL category must upload a certificate issued in the prescribed format during the Financial Year 2024-2025, i.e., between 1^st April, 2024 and 31^st March, 2025. However, the certificates uploaded by the Petitioners along with their application forms were issued outside the aforesaid time- frame. He further submits that, at the stage of document ver