1 APHC010496412026 IN THE HIGH COURT OF ANDHRA PRADESH AT AMARAVATI (Special Original Jurisdiction) [3460] THURSDAY, THE 1st DAY OF OCTOBER 2026 PRESENT THE HONOURABLE SRI JUSTICE NYAPATHY VIJAY WRIT PETITION NO: 27181/2026 Between: 1. N VENKATASH NAIK, S/O. GOVINDU NAIK, AGED ABOUT 46 YEARS, OCC UN-EMPLOYEE H.NO.9-20, GUNDALA TANDA VILLAGE, G.ERRAGUDI POST, TUGGALI MANDAL, KURNOOL DISTRICT. ...PETITIONER AND 1. THE STATE OF ANDHRA PRADESH, REP., BY ITS PRINCIPAL SECRETARY, HIGHER EDUCATION DEPARTMENT, SECRETARIAT, VELAGAPUDI, AMARAVATHI, GUNTUR DISTRICT 522237 2. THE COMMISSIONER OF A P COLLEGIATE EDUCATION SERVICE, AP, MANGALAGIRI, GUNTUR DISTRICT. 522503 3. THE ANDHRA PRADESH PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION, REP BY ITS SECRETARY, VIJAYAWADA, KRISHNA DISTRICT 520001 ...RESPONDENT(S): 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 toissue an appropriate order, writ or direction, more particularly one in the nature of Writ of Mandamus, declaring the action the of the respondents in not considering my candidature for appointment to the post of Degree College Lecturer (Computer Science) pursuant to the Notification No.17/2023 Dated 30.12.2023 solely on the ground that the State Eligibility Test (SET) qualification acquired from the State of Telangana is not a valid qualification, the said action of the respondents is wholly illegal, arbitrary, 2 unreasonable and contrary to the applicable recruitment rules and the terms of the notification, besides being violative of the fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution of India and consequently direct the respondents to consider the case of the petitioner for appointment to the post of Lecturer in Government Degree College (Computer Science) by considering the SET Qualification as valid for my selection IA NO: 1 OF 2026 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 direct the respondents to consider the case of the petitioner for appointment to the post of Lecturer Government Degree College (Computer Science) by considering the SET Qualification as valid for my selection Counsel for the Petitioner: 1. HARINATH REDDY SOMAGUTTA Counsel for the Respondent(S): 1. GP FOR SERVICES III 2. G SEENA KUMAR The Court made the following: 3 THE HONOURABLE SRI JUSTICE NYAPATHY VIJAY Writ Petition No.27181 of 2026 ORDER: The Writ Petition is filed aggrieved by the action of the respondents in not considering the case of the Petitioner for appointment to the post of Degree College Lecturer (Computer Science) pursuant to the Notification No. 17/2023 Dated 30.12.2023 issued by Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission(APPSC) on the ground that the State Eligibility Test Qualification acquired by the Petitioner is not in accordance with the eligibility criteria prescribed in the Notification. 2. A recruitment Notification was issued by the A.P.P.S.C on 30.12.2023 vide Notification No.17/2023 to the post of Lecturer in Government Degree Colleges. The Educational Qualification prescribed under the notification which is relevant for the purpose of solving the dispute raised, is as follows: “The Applicant should have passed National Eligibility Test (NET) for Lecturers conducted by UGC, CSIR (or similar tests accredited by the UGC) OR SLET conducted by the University concerned. NET/SLET shall remain the compulsory requirement for appointment as Lecturer.” 3. Learned counsel for the Petitioner would submit that on the basis of the Certificate issued by the Telangana State Eligibility Test (Ts-SET), Osmania University, the Petitioner had applied the said Post. However, the Respondent Authorities rejected the candidature of the Petitioner for appointment to the post of Degree College Lecturer ( Computer Science). 4. Learned Standing Counsel appearing for the APPSC submits that the very Certificate itself would state that the Certificate is valid in the State of Telangana State and that the Certificate issued by the Osmania University vide Telangana State Eligibility Test can be considered by the Telangana State only and therefore, S.E.T Certificate relied upon by the petitioner cannot be accepted. 4 5. Heard the learned counsels. 6. The only issue is to be considered in the present Writ Petition is whether the SET Certificate acquired by the Petitioner issued by Osmania University is valid Qualification under recruitment notification. It would be appropriate for Respondent No.1 to examine the same as he is the employer. 7. Therefore, the present Writ Petition is disposed of with the following direction: i) The Respondent No.1 shall examine this issue and issue appropriate clarification to the APPSC within a period of Four (04) weeks from the date of receipt of a copy of this order. Till such time, one post, to which the Petitioner is aspiring, shall be kept in abeyance. As a sequel, the miscellaneous petitions if any shall stand dismissed. ________________________ JUSTICE NYAPATHY VIJAY Date: 01.10.2026 GCD/eha 5 THE HONOURABLE SRI JUSTICE NYAPATHY VIJAY WP No.27181 of 2026 Dt.01-10-2026 GCD