DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand High Court has allowed women from outside states to appear in the Uttarakhand Public Service Commission (UKPSC) main examination.
A division bench of Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice R C Khulbe on Tuesday directed the Public Service Commission to re-issue the merit list so that women from other states get a chance to appear for the main examination on merit.
The main exam is scheduled to be held in October.
The result of the preliminary examination for more than 200 posts of various departments in the Upper Combined Upper Service Examination of the Commission came on May 26, 2022. Two cut-off lists of the unreserved category were taken out in the examination.
The cut-off for women candidates of Uttarakhand origin was 79. The petitioner women said their marks were above 79, but were disqualified.
The High court allowed other state women candidates to appear for the commission's upcoming examinations after hearing their plea.
Richa Shahi and others, from Uttar Pradesh, have contended in their petition that the Uttarakhand government has given 30 per cent reservation to women of the state in public service commission examinations due to which she has been excluded from the merit list.
Such reservation is contrary to many articles of the Constitution. She had sought permission from the court to appear for the main examination.
Earlier on August 24, the High Court had stayed a 2006 government order granting 30 per cent horizontal reservation to women candidates of Uttarakhand origin in the examination conducted for the posts of senior service of Uttarakhand Combined Service, State Public Service Commission.
However, following the High Court order of August 24, the chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had assured candidates in the state that the government would bring an ordinance to maintain 30% horizontal reservation for women.
After the legal opinion, the government has now made up its mind to go to the Supreme Court through a special leave petition.