Syed Mohammad Ali Rouf Shah v. Union Of India & ANR.

$~77 * IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI + W.P.(C) 2618/2026 SYED MOHAMMAD ALI ROUF SHAH .....Petitioner Through:

Mr. Lakshay Yadav, Mr. Yashvir Singh Gulia and Ms. Abhishek Gusain, Advs.

versus UNION OF INDIA & ANR.

.....Respondents Through:

Mr. Himanshu Pathak, SPC with Mr.

Chetan Sharma, Adv

CORAM:

HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE V. KAMESWAR RAO HON'BLE MS. JUSTICE MANMEET PRITAM SINGH ARORA

O R D E R

% 26.02.2026 CM APPL. 12734/2026 (Exemption) 1.

Allowed, subject to all just exceptions.

2.

The application stands disposed of.

W.P.(C) 2618/2026 3.

This petition has been filed with the following prayers:- "a. Issue a writ in the nature of Mandamus, or any other appropriate writ, order, or direction, directing the Respondents to grant a special and equitable concession to the Petitioner by accepting his application (either offline in physical format or by temporarily opening the online portal) and allowing him to fully participate in the ongoing recruitment process for the post of Constable (General Duty) under Sports Quota 2025-26, initiated vide the notification dated 27.12.2025; b. Alternatively, or in addition to the above, issue a writ of The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above.

Certiorari quashing and setting aside the impugned Corrigendum No. Rectt/IG (HQ) FHQ/Sports Person-2025 (Final Merit)/ 2026/1156-59 dated 22.01.2026 and the consequential Cancellation Order dated 03.02.2026 (bearing No.

Rectt/Order/25 Bn/2026/2979-87), and direct the Respondents to reinstate the Petitioner in service with all consequential benefits, adjusting him against the available 65 Kg Wushu vacancies;

c. Pass an ad-interim ex-parte order directing the Respondents to provisionally permit the Petitioner to participate in the physical trials and documentation process for the 2025-26 Sports Quota recruitment, pending the final disposal of this Writ Petition;

d. Pass any such other and further orders, directions, or writs as this Hon'ble Court may deem fit and proper in the facts and circumstances of the case, in the interest of justice, equity, and fair play."

4.

Suffice to state, the case of the petitioner is that the petitioner is a multiple-time gold medallist at the national level including the prestigious National Federation Cup, 2025 who intends to seek an appointment as Constable (General Duty) under the sports quota of 2025-26. 5.

The petitioner was previously selected on the post of Constable (General Duty) during the 2025 recruitment cycle. Upon the process undertaken including documents verification, wherein, according to the petitioner, he had clearly indicated his weight category as 65 Kg, the respondents on evaluation the physical parameters and scruitinising his documents, mapped him to a 75 Kg vacancy and accordingly appointed him. Later it transpired, action has been taken by the respondents to terminate the appointment of the petitioner. The same became the subject matter of a challenge in writ petition being W.P.(C) 1602/2026, wherein, the petitioner had challenged his termination order. The termination is primarily on the The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above.

ground, that the recruitment was to be effected in 75 Kg category, whereas the petitioner had necessary eligibility only in 65 Kg category. Be that as it may, the said petition was dismissed as withdrawn on the representation made by the counsel for the petitioner.

6.

This petition has been filed by the petitioner with the above mentioned prayers. In effect, the petitioner is seeking a direction that he be allowed to apply for the post of Constable (General Duty) under the sports quota but for the year 2025-26, which has been initiated by the respondents vide notification dated 27.12.2025 and against which he could not apply. When the writ petition was listed for hearing yesterday, we directed the learned counsel for the respondents to take instructions. Learned counsel for the respondents on instructions, submits that the last day for submitting the application had expired on 15.01.2026 and the process of recruitment shall commence from 06.03.2026, wherein, the candidates who had applied and shortlisted shall produce their documents. It is thereafter, the respondents shall hold PST/PET and then proceed in accordance with the notification. 7.

Having noted that the peculiar facts of the case which have arisen for consideration and the fact that when the notification dated 27.12.2025 was issued, the petitioner's earlier appointment was not terminated and subsequently, he had challenged his termination before this Court, which petition was withdrawn on 05.02.2026, it is clear that the petitioner could not have applied for the post in question in terms of notification dated 27.12.2025, on or before 15.01.2026. So, we are of the view as the only prayer that is being sought in the present petition is to the extent that the petitioner be allowed to apply for the post of Constable (General Duty) under the sports quota for the recruitment for the year 2025-26, the prayer as The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above.

sought by the petitioner in this writ petition need to be allowed. 8.

We accordingly direct the respondents to open the application portal by 05:00 PM on 03.03.2026 for a period of twenty four hours to enable the petitioner submit his application along with the documents if any. The respondents shall scrutinise the application for any deficiency thereof and shall inform the petitioner within twenty four hours thereafter. On the petitioner removing the deficiencies within next twenty four hours, the respondents shall issue the admit card to the petitioner to enable him to sit in examination on any of the dates between 06.03.2026 and 13.03.2026. The petitioner's participation in the selection process, shall proceed in accordance with the recruitment notification. 9.

We make it clear that this order has been passed in the peculiar facts of this case, and shall not be treated as a precedent. 10.

The petition is disposed of. The order be given Dasti. V. KAMESWAR RAO, J MANMEET PRITAM SINGH ARORA, J FEBRUARY 26, 2026 rk The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above.