$~65 * IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI % Date of Decision : 25.02.2026 + W.P.(C) 2638/2026 CM APPL. 12830/2026 KRISHAN MURARI MEENA .....Petitioner Through: Mr. Manu Beri, Mr. Raunek Raheja and Ms. Kudrat Mann, Advs.

versus UNION OF INDIA & ORS. .....Respondents Through: Mr. Nishant Gautam, CGSC, Ms.

Kavya Shukla, Mr. Vineet Negi, Mr. Naman Sharma and Ms. Theresa, Advs.

Mr. Ravinder Agarwal, Mr. Manish Kumar Singh and Mr. Vasu Agarwal, Advs. for R-2/UPSC Mr. Vinay Kaushik, Government Pleader CORAM:

HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE V. KAMESWAR RAO HON'BLE MS. JUSTICE MANMEET PRITAM SINGH ARORA V. KAMESWAR RAO , J. (ORAL)

1. This petition has been filed with the following prayers:

“A. Issue a Writ in the nature of Mandamus or any other appropriate writ to Respondents, order or direction, setting aside the disqualification of the Petitioner from Physical Standards Test (PST)/ Physical Efficiency Test (PET) in for the recruitment process of Central Armed Police Forces (Assistant Commandant)

Examination-2025;

B. Issue directions to the Respondents allowing the petitioner to appear in further rounds of selection process;

C. Pass any such other orders as this Hon’ble Court may deem fit in the facts and circumstances of the case.”

2. In effect, the challenge in this petition by the petitioner is to the rejection of his candidature in the Physical Standard Test (PST) in the recruitment process of Central Armed Police Forces (Assistant Commandant) Examination-2025 on the ground that his height is 164.7 cm and not 165 cm, the required height.

3. Learned counsel for the petitioner has drawn our attention to the order passed by this Court in W.P.(C) 18334/2025 in Priyanshu Raj v. Union of India & Ors. at Annexure P-7 (at running page no. 73) wherein this Court had considered an identical issue and by referring to the General Instructions for Recruitment Board in paragraph 10 of the said order, granted the relief to the petitioner therein. The paragraph 10 is reproduced as under: -

“10. Petitioner has relied upon Clause 2(d) of the General instructions for Recruitment Board issued by the Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs on 20.05.2015 to contend that the said Guideline permits rounding off the height to the next higher centimetre and therefore the petitioner’s height which is 164.6 cm ought to be rounded off to 165 cm at the stage of PST. The said Guideline as relevant is extracted hereinbelow:

‘“2. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR RECRUITMENT BOARD:

d) Measurement of physical standards viz. height, weight, and chest is the responsibility of the PST Board (PST Board) for all categories of candidates i.e GOs, SOs and Ors. Medical Officers will not be part of PST board both for Male & Female candidates. Since presence of a female is required at the time of recording of physical standard (PST), a female non-medical staff may be associated with PST board. Recruiting medical officer need not record to physical measurements. Recruiting medical officer will mention physical standard in the medical examination form as recorded by the PST board. In borderline cases of overweight, BMI should also be considered to arrive at conclusion and variation of 5Kg +/- from the minimum/maximum limit may be accepted. Similarly, while measuring height fraction of cm less that 0.5 will be ignored and 0.5 cm & more will be rounded off to the next higher cm. Standard height weight chart is attached as Annexure I’

[Emphasis Supplied]”

4. The submission of the learned counsel for the petitioner is that the petitioner’s case is covered in terms of the General Instructions inasmuch as the height of the petitioner having been measured at 164.7 cm, the same has to be rounded off to the next higher cm which is 165 cm. In that sense, he shall meet the eligibility condition.

5. We also reproduce paragraph 14 of the order passed by this Court in Priyanshu Raj v. Union of India & Ors. (supra) wherein we have stated as under:

“14. In addition, the Manual of Medical Examination and Medical Standa