Rajasthan HC grants relief to SI Recruitment-2021 candidates: Overaged applicants can apply for 2025 vacancies

Jaipur, Aug 27 (IANS) Candidates who appeared in the Sub Inspector (SI) Recruitment-2021 and have now crossed the upper age limit have received interim relief from the Rajasthan High Court.

A single bench of Justice Anand Sharma, hearing the petition of Ram Gopal and others, directed that such candidates be included in the SI Recruitment-2025. The Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) has issued a notification for 1,015 posts of Sub Inspector / Platoon Commander.

Applications opened on August 10 and will close on September 8, with the examination scheduled for April 5, 2026. Advocate Harendra Neel told the court that the Cabinet Sub-Committee had earlier recommended granting special age relaxation to candidates who participated in the 2021 recruitment.

However, the 2025 advertisement did not include any such provision, providing only a standard three-year age relaxation. As a result, many candidates became overage despite the relaxation.

The court, while seeking a reply from the government and RPSC, directed that the petitioners be allowed to fill the forms. RPSC criteria for SI Recruitment-2025 have set educational qualification with a graduation degree required; final-year students may apply, provided they qualify before the interview.

The age limit is a minimum of 20 years and a maximum of 25 years as on 1 January 2026, with three years of relaxation compared to the 2021 recruitment.

Meanwhile, in the SI Recruitment-2021 paper leak case, the High Court reserved its decision on August 14, 2025, after completion of arguments.

The petitioners have demanded cancellation of recruitment citing breach of confidentiality, while the government has opposed cancellation but agreed to consider age relaxation in future recruitments.

The SIT investigating the case has confirmed the involvement of 68 candidates, including 54 trainee SIs, 6 selected candidates, and 8 absconding candidates.

--IANS

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