APHC010366942025 IN THE HIGH COURT OF ANDHRA PRADESH AT AMARAVATI (Special Original Jurisdiction) [3327] MONDAY, THE TWENTY SEVENTH DAY OF OCTOBER TWO THOUSAND AND TWENTY FIVE PRESENT THE HONOURABLE SRI JUSTICE K SREENIVASA REDDY WRIT PETITION NO: 19119/2025 Between: 1. MADDILETI DHEERAJ KUMAR REDDY, S/O M. SURESH REDDY, AGED ABOUT 17YRS, OCC.STUDENT, BEING MINOR, REP. BY HIS FATHER, MADDILETI SURESH REDDY, S/O VENKAT REDDY, AGED ABOUT 44YRS, OCCFARMER, R/O H.N0.7-76-2H, PEDDAKADUBURU, KURPOOL DISTRICT. 2. KOTWAL MUSTAFA RAEES, S/O MOHAMMED AEJAZUR RAHIM, AGED ABOUT 17YRS, OCC STUDENT, BEING MINOR, REP. BY HIS FATHER, MOHAMMED AEJAZUR RAHIM , S/O KOTWAL OBEIDULLA, AGED ABOUT 50YRS, OCC PRIVATE SERVICE, R/O H.NO.4-343-21 B, TELECOM NAGAR, RAMJALA ROAD, ADONI, KURNOOL DISTRICT. ...PETITIONER(S) AND 1. THE STATE OF AP, REP. BY ITS PRINCIPAL SECRETARY, HIGHER EDUCATION DEPARTMENT, SECRETARIAT BUILDINGS, VELAGAPUDI, AMARAVATI. 2. THE ANDHRA PRADESH STATE COUNCIL FOR HIGHER EDUCATION, GOVERNMENT OF ANDHRA PRADESH, REP BY ITS MEMBER SECRETARY, NEELADRI TOWERS, 6TH BATTALIAN ROAD, MANGALAGIRI, GUNTUR DISTRICT. 3. THE CONVENER, APEAPCET2025 ADMISSIONS, GARUDADRI KK TOWERS, FLAT NO 501, 5TH FLOOR, LAKSHMI NARASIMHA COLONY, BYPASS ROAD, NEAR DR YSR AAROGYASRI HEALTHCARE TRUST, MANGALAGIRI, GUNTUR DISTRICT. ...RESPONDENT(S): SRK, J W.P.No.19119 of 2025 2 Petition under Article 226 of the Constitution of India praying that in the circumstances stated in the affidavit filed therewith, the High Court may be pleased to issue a Writ, Order or Direction more particularly one in the nature of Writ of Mandamus, (i) declaring the action of the Respondents in denying local candidature status to the petitioners for the purpose of admissions under the APEAPCET-2025 notification, pursuant to G.O.Ms.No.20, Higher Education (EC) Department, dated 12.05.2025, on the ground that the petitioners have studied Intermediate education in the State of Telangana, despite having studied from 1ST class to l0TH class in the State of Andhra Pradesh, as illegal, arbitrary, irrational, discriminatory, and violative of Articles 14, 21 and 371-D of the Constitution of India (ii) and consequently direct the Respondents to treat the Petitioners as local candidates for the purpose of admissions to professional courses under the 85 PERCENT regional quota for the academic year 2025-26 and permit them to participate in APEAPCET-2025 web counselling accordingly and pass IA NO: 1 OF 2025 Petition under Section 151 CPC praying that in the circumstances stated in the affidavit filed in support of the petition, the High Court may be pleased to direct the Respondents, particularly the 3RD Respondent, to permit the Petitioners to participate in the APEAPCET- 2025 counselling process as "local candidates" and consider their eligibility for admission under the 85% regional quota, without reference to the place of Intermediate study, pending disposal of the Writ Petition, and pass IA NO: 2 OF 2025 Petition under Section 151 CPC praying that in the circumstances stated in the affidavit filed in support of the petition, the High Court may be pleased to vacate the interim orders dated 06.08.2025, in WP.No. 19119 of 2025 and pass Counsel for the Petitioner(S): 1. RAMESH VODNALA Counsel for the Respondent(S): 1. GP FOR HIGHER EDUCATION 2. K RADHIKA SRK, J W.P.No.19119 of 2025 3 The Court made the following ORDER: This Writ Petition is filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India seeking the following relief:- “….to issue an appropriate Writ, order or direction more particularly one in the nature of Writ of Mandamus, declaring the action of the respondents in denying local candidature status to the petitioners for the purpose of admissions under the APEAPCET-2025 notification, pursuant to G.O.Ms.No.20 Higher Education (EC) Department, dated 12.05.2025, on the ground that the petitioners have studied Intermediate education in the State of Telangana, despite having studied from 1st class to 10th class in the State of Andhra Pradesh as illegal, arbitrary and consequently direct the respondents to consider the candidature of the petitioners as a local candidates for all the purposes of admissions in APEAPCET-2025.” 2. Contents of the affidavit filed by the Writ Petitioners, in support of the Writ Petition, are that petitioners and their parents are permanent residents of Kurnool District; that the petitioners completed their schooling from Class I to X in the State of Andhra Pradesh; that the petitioners pursued Intermediate (2023-2025) at Sri Chaitanya Junior Kalasala, Pragathi Nagar, Bachupalli, Medchal District, Telangana State; that the petitioners appeared for SRK, J W.P.No.19119 of 2025 4 APEAPCET-2025 examination and secured 7118 and 10646 ranks and became eligible for web counseling process. (b) The petitioners, though, studied the classes from I to X in Andhra Pradesh, they studied Intermediate in Telangana State, as such, by virtue of G.O.Ms.Nos.20 and 21, Higher Education (EC) Department, dated 12.05.2025, they become ineligible to claim local status in Andhra Pradesh for the admission under 85% regional quota; that the said G.Os., were issued after completion of 10 Year transitional period under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act, 2014; that the decision, to study Intermediate in Telangana State, was made purely for better academic and hostel facilities, without any intention to change domicile; that the rigid enforcement of the said G.O., places the petitioners at disadvantage by shifting them to 15% unreserved quota, where competition is significantly higher. Hence, the Writ Petition. 3. Hence, the Writ Petition. 3. Today, when the matter is taken up for hearing, learned Government Pleader for Higher Education representing respondent No.1 placed copy of Common Order, dated 13.08.2025 in Writ Petition No.19579 of 2025 and batch, wherein, in a similar case of this nature, a Division Bench of this Court dismissed the said Writ Petitions by relying on the observations and the ratio laid down by a Full Bench of the erstwhile High Court of Andhra Pradesh in SRK, J W.P.No.19119 of 2025 5 Bathina Rajya Shilpa and etc. v. NTR University of Health Sciences, Vijayawada and Ors.1. 4. In view of the same and for the reasons recorded therein, the Writ Petition deserves to be dismissed. 5. Accordingly, the Writ Petition is dismissed. Registry is directed to tag copy of the Common Order, dated 13.08.2025 passed by the Division Bench of this Court in Writ Petition No.19579 of 2025 and batch, along with the present order. There shall be no order as to costs. 6. As a sequel thereto, the miscellaneous applications, if any, pending in this Writ Petition, shall stand closed. ________________________ K. SREENIVASA REDDY, J. Date:27.10.2025 sj 1 (2002) 1 ALT 365 = AIR 2002 AP 115. SRK, J W.P.No.19119 of 2025 6 116 HON’BLE SRI JUSTICE K. SREENIVASA REDDY Writ Petition No.19119 of 2025 Date:27.10.2025 sj