Overview

• A division bench of Justices M.C. Tripathi and A.K. Gupta on September 26 permitted the UPPSC engineering mains scheduled for September 28–29 to go ahead but stayed declaration of results.
• The order came on UPPSC’s special appeal against a September 25 single-judge ruling that had postponed the mains and directed a redraw of the preliminary merit list.
• Petitioners argued that reserved-category candidates who matched or exceeded the unreserved cut-off were confined to reserved lists instead of being counted in open merit.
• They also challenged shortlisting below the advertised 1:15 ratio, noting 7,358 candidates were listed for 609 posts where 9,135 were expected under Clause 11(8).
• UPPSC maintained it complied with the advertisement and the Reservation Act, 1994, asserting that migration to the unreserved list applies at final selection, as the division bench left the merits to be decided in the pending appeal.