PRAYAGRAJ, May 9 -- Following the interim stay imposed by the Allahabad high court on the joining of candidates selected in the Review Officer (RO) and Assistant Review Officer (ARO) Recruitment Examination-2023, the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) is now closely studying a similar matter related to the Haryana Public Service Commission and the observations made by the Supreme Court in that case, officials claim. The Commission maintains that the preliminary examination is merely a "suitability exam" and its marks are not included in the final merit list, while reservation is ultimately determined at the final selection stage. UPPSC secretary Girijesh Tyagi said the Supreme Court has already granted an interim stay in matters concerning the implementation of reservation at the preliminary examination stage, and the Commission will place its arguments before the high court on the basis of these established legal principles, said a communique issued on Friday. According to the Commission, a total of 419 candidates were selected in the final result declared on April 5, 2026, of which 176 candidates belong to the OBC category. This means OBC candidates accounted for 42 per cent of the total selections, while the share of the general category stood at 28.16 per cent, it said. The Commission said the result reflects an inclusive selection process in which both merit and rule-based reservation provisions were balanced. The UPPSC secretary said the entire RO/ARO recruitment process was conducted strictly in accordance with the conditions mentioned in the advertisement and the established rules of 1994 and 1986. Some candidates have challenged the final selection list in the high court raising questions regarding reservation and the migration process. While hearing the petitions, the high court has imposed an interim stay on the joining of the selected candidates. However, the Commission said it will present the complete legal and factual aspects of the process before the court in detail. The Commission is now treating the interim orders and legal observations made by the Supreme Court in the Haryana Public Service Commission case as an important basis for its defence, claimed officials....