Citing an apex court ruling in the case of Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission versus Balaji, the high court ruled that as per the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission rules and regulations, the preliminary tests are not meant to select the candidate for the state job itself.

It is merely a process to screen the most eligible candidates, who appear for the civil service examination in huge and unmanageable numbers, the high court had ruled.

The candidates are eventually selected for jobs on the basis of the main examination and the interview, which follows the preliminary exams, the high court had reasoned.

It had also directed that if the requisite number of the backward and Dalit category candidates fail to clear preliminary tests, the joint and common cut-off for all students should be lowered rather than having different cut-offs for different categories.

The Uttar Pradesh commission had issued the advertisement for the State Civil Services Examination in March 2007 and had held the preliminary examination in September 2007. The results had been declared in February 2009, and the main civil services examination 2007 was held in July-August 2009.

But the high court's order had rendered the main examination meaningless.