J U D G M E N T

1. The present petition under Article 226 and 227 of the Constitution of India, assails the interim Order dated 15.04.2026, passed by the Central Administrative Tribunal (“Tribunal”) in O.A. No. 1260 of 2026, titled as Suyash Kumar Awasthi &Anr. vs. Union of India and Anr., (“Impugned Order”) whereby Respondent Nos. 1 and 2 were permitted to provisionally appear in Tier-II Examination for the post of Assistant Secretary under Direct Recruitment Quota Examination-2026 (“DRQ 2026”), to be held on 18.04.2026.

2. Briefly stated, the petitioner issued a recruitment notification dated 02.12.2025 for various posts including Assistant Secretary under DRQ-2026, prescribing a two-tier examination process, wherein candidates qualifying Tier-I would be eligible to appear in Tier-II.

3. The Tier-I examination was conducted on 31.01.2026, and the provisional answer key was uploaded on 11.02.2026, with a window from 12.02.2026 to 14.02.2026 for raising objections upon payment of the prescribed fee. The result of Tier-I was declared on 02.03.2026. Respondent No.1 secured 232 marks and Respondent No.2 secured 226 marks, both falling below the prescribed cut-off of 236 mar