The Punjab and Haryana High Court has granted interim relief to a civil services aspirant who was at risk of losing his candidature under the Sports Category due to non-submission of a sports quota certificate, allowing him to provisionally appear in the main examination.
The petitioner had applied under the Sports Person Punjab category pursuant to a 2025 recruitment advertisement issued by the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC). Relying on Clause 5.2 of the advertisement, he argued that document verification, including submission of certificates, was to take place after the mains examination and not at the preliminary stage.
However, the Commission later issued public notices requiring candidates to submit Sports Gradation Certificates within specified deadlines. The petitioner failed to comply, claiming that there was no provision on the online portal to upload the certificate, no individual notification was issued, and his admit card continued to reflect his eligibility under the sports category, creating a legitimate expectation.
Taking note of these circumstances, the Court permitted the petitioner to appear in the mains examination provisionally, subject to the outcome of the case. The case is now adjourned to May 16, 2026. The Court further directed that his result be kept in a sealed cover and be produced on the adjourned date.
Appearances
Mr. Eklavya Gupta, Advocate, and Mr. Parminder Singh, Advocate, for the petitioner.
Mr. Charanpreet Singh, AAG, Punjab.
