Delhi High Court SPA & PA Recruitment 2026

Candidates must strictly adhere to the official timetable prescribed in Section I of the Delhi High Court Vacancy Notice:

A consolidated pool of 150 vacancies is notified under direct recruitment. Note that separate applications and fees are mandatory if an eligible applicant desires to apply for both posts.

The vertical distribution for 117 vacancies of Senior Personal Assistant (SPA) is structured as follows:

Horizontal reservation of 4% for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) having a disability of 40% or more is provided as follows:

Both posts are classified as Group 'B' in the Delhi High Court Establishment and carry central 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC) pay levels:

Delhi is categorized as an 'X' Class City (highest HRA bracket). Approximate starting monthly salaries are:

Note: Actual in-hand take-home pay is subject to NPS contribution, CGHS deductions, and Delhi employee income tax.

For appointment to the post of Senior Personal Assistant (SPA), candidates must satisfy the following three mandatory qualifications as on 05.10.2026:

• Degree: Graduate from a recognised University (Any discipline: B.A., B.Sc., B.Com., B.Tech., LL.B., etc.).
• Shorthand Speed: Speed of not less than 110 words per minute (w.p.m.) in English Shorthand.
• Typewriting Speed: Speed of not less than 40 words per minute (w.p.m.) in English Typewriting on computer.
• Computer Proficiency: Good working knowledge of Computer (Word processing, spreadsheets, internet, OS).

For appointment to the post of Personal Assistant (PA), candidates must satisfy the following criteria as on 05.10.2026:

• Degree: Graduate from a recognised University in any stream.
• Shorthand Speed: Speed of not less than 100 words per minute (w.p.m.) in English Shorthand.
• Typewriting Speed: Speed of not less than 40 words per minute (w.p.m.) in English Typewriting on computer.
• Computer Proficiency: Good working knowledge of Computer systems.
• Category Reservation: Must belong to EWS, OBC-NCL (Delhi), SC, or ST (since General vacancies are NIL).

Section II (Notes) clearly prescribes that:

• All educational qualifications must be from a University / Institution / Board recognised by the Government of India or approved by Govt. Regulatory Bodies (UGC, AICTE, etc.).
• The final result of the graduation degree MUST have been declared on or before the closing date for receipt of online applications (05.10.2026).
• Candidates whose final year results are awaited or declared after 05.10.2026 are not eligible to apply.

As per Section III of the Vacancy Notice, the candidate’s age must not be below 18 years and must not exceed 32 years as on 01.01.2026.

Only the Date of Birth recorded in the Matriculation / Secondary Examination Certificate or Mark-Sheet will be accepted for determining age eligibility. No subsequent request for change will be entertained.

Relaxation in upper age limit beyond 32 years is permissible to reserved category applicants as follows:

Section III explicitly states that there shall be no upper age limit for persons who are in regular service in the High Court of Delhi, subject to their fulfilling the requisite educational qualifications.

Consistent with administrative efficiency and orders passed by Hon’ble the Chief Justice, the statutory reservation quota is applied as follows:

• Scheduled Castes (SC): 15% of posts
• Scheduled Tribes (ST): 7.5% of posts
• Other Backward Classes (OBC-NCL): 27% of posts
• Economically Weaker Sections (EWS): 10% of posts
• Persons with Benchmark Disability (PwBD): 4% on horizontal basis
• Ex-Servicemen (ESM): There is no reservation of vacancies for Group 'A' & Group 'B' posts for Ex-Servicemen.

For valid OBC reservation:

1. Caste Certificate must be issued by the Competent Authority of the Govt. of NCT of Delhi for castes notified as OBC by GNCTD.
2. Central Govt OBC certificates (e.g. for Govt of India appointments) are NOT valid.
3. The Non-Creamy Layer (NCL) Certificate must have been issued in the current financial year 2026-2027 (i.e. between 01.04.2026 and 31.03.2027) by GNCTD.

EWS reservations follow DoPT O.M. No. 36039/1/2019-Estt(Res) dated 19.01.2019 and 31.01.2019:

• Candidates must possess a valid Income and Asset Certificate issued in the prescribed format on or before the application cut-off date (05.10.2026).
• Appointment under EWS quota is provisional subject to verification. If verification reveals a fake or false certificate, services will be terminated immediately without assigning further reasons and criminal action will be taken under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Candidates claiming SC (15%) or ST (7.5%) status must possess a valid Caste Certificate issued by an authorized Competent Authority on or before 05.10.2026.

Candidature remains provisional until original verification at Document Verification. SC/ST candidates who qualify on merit without availing relaxations will be adjusted against General vacancies (for SPA).

PwBD candidates suffering from disability of not less than 40% in the designated categories (OL, BL, LC, Dw, AAV, ASD, SLD, MI) are eligible for age relaxation, fee concession, and qualifying marks relaxation.

Candidates suffering from disabilities for which no vacancy has been reserved are not entitled to any relaxations or reservation and will be governed by normal category standards.

The recruitment process for both Senior Personal Assistant and Personal Assistant is conducted in four successive stages:

Stage-I is common to both SPA and PA candidates and is strictly qualifying in nature:

• Duration: 10 (ten) minutes on computer.
• Minimum Speed Required: 40 words per minute (w.p.m.) in English typing on computer.
• Evaluation Criterion: "Characters with space" calculation method will be adopted.
• Permissible Mistakes: Maximum 3% of the total words typed.
• Progression: Only candidates qualifying Stage-I will be called for Stage-II (English Shorthand Tests).

The Shorthand examination for Senior Personal Assistant (SPA) involves high-speed recording and transcription:

The Shorthand examination for Personal Assistant (PA) is structured as follows:

The deduction policy for transcription errors is rigorous and clearly documented in Section V:

• Full Mistake Deduction: Four (4) marks will be deducted for committing every one full mistake.
• Half Mistake Deduction: Two (2) marks will be deducted for committing every half (1/2) mistake.
• SPA Calculation: Candidates committing exactly 27.5 mistakes get 10 marks (120 - 4 × 27.5 = 10). Committing > 27.5 mistakes = 0 / Disqualified.
• PA Calculation: Candidates committing exactly 25 mistakes get 10 marks (110 - 4 × 25 = 10). Committing > 25 mistakes = 0 / Disqualified.

Only the successful candidates of Stage-II will be called for Stage-III (Main Descriptive Examination).

Stage-III consists of an offline written descriptive test of English language testing drafting, articulation, comprehension, and bilingual translation ability:

• Total Marks: 100 Marks
• Total Duration: 120 Minutes (2 Hours)
• Medium of Exam: English language (with bilingual translation section)
• Qualifying Standard: General: 50% (50 Marks) | Reserved (SC/ST/OBC/EWS/PwBD): 45% (45 Marks)

Candidates must write an essay of approximately 250 words carrying 40 Marks. Key focus areas include:

• Judicial and constitutional governance topics
• Contemporary social, environmental, and legal issues
• Coherence, paragraph transitions, vocabulary, and grammatical precision

Letter Writing carries 15 Marks. It assesses official and formal correspondence formats:

• Official communication to administrative authorities, registrar offices, or institutional bodies
• Correct layout (Sender/Receiver addresses, subject line, formal salutation, closing courtesy)
• Conciseness, clarity of expression, and respectful tone

This section carries 25 Marks and is divided into:

• Reading Comprehension: Unseen passage followed by inferential, vocabulary, and contextual questions.
• English Grammar: Correction of sentences, prepositions, active/passive voice, direct/indirect narration, idiomatic usage, and subject-verb agreement.

Translation carries 20 Marks divided equally into two components:

To qualify Stage-III and become eligible for the Stage-IV Interview, candidates must secure:

Candidates shortlisted from Stage-III will appear for the personal Interview before the Selection Board:

• Maximum Marks: 15 Marks
• Minimum Qualifying Cut-Off: There are NO minimum qualifying marks in the interview.
• Assessment: Professional demeanor, legal/court secretarial aptitude, communication skills, integrity, and knowledge of court operations.

The final select / merit list is prepared strictly by adding marks secured in Stages II, III, and IV:

Where two or more candidates obtain equal aggregate marks, the tie will be resolved applying the following sequence of rules one after another:

1. Higher marks obtained in Stage-II (English Shorthand Tests).
2. Higher marks obtained in Stage-III (Main Descriptive Examination).
3. Higher marks obtained in Stage-IV (Interview).
4. Date of Birth: The candidate older in age gets preference over the younger candidate.

The non-refundable online fee payable for each application is as follows:

Note: Candidates applying for both SPA and PA must submit separate online application forms and pay separate fees for each post.

Fee can be paid online through UPI, Net Banking, Credit Card, or Debit Card via the integrated SBI ePay gateway.

Section VIII allows a 3-day correction window from 12.10.2026 (11:00 AM) to 14.10.2026 (11:00 PM):

• Non-Editable Fields: Absolutely NO modification is permitted in Name, Category, Date of Birth, and Mobile Number.
• Correction Charges: ₹200/- for 1st correction and resubmission; ₹500/- for 2nd correction and resubmission.
• Maximum Allowed: Candidates can modify and resubmit their form a maximum of two times.
• The latest modified application will be treated as valid and previous versions stand cancelled.

Section VII (iv-vi) establishes stringent criteria for the scanned colour passport photo:

• File Format & Size: JPEG format, between 100 KB and 200 KB.
• Dimensions: Approximately 3.5 cm (width) × 4.5 cm (height).
• Recency: Must not be more than three (3) months old from notice publication date.
• 75% Face Coverage: Face must cover at least 3/4th (75%) of the image area.
• Facial Alignment: Direct look at camera, straight head alignment, both ear lobes clearly visible.
• Restrictions: Without cap, mask, or spectacles.

• Left Hand Thumb Impression: JPEG format, 50 KB to 200 KB. In case left hand thumb is unavailable, right hand thumb impression may be used.
• Scanned Signature: JPEG format, 50 KB to 150 KB. Signature must be clear and legible on white paper.
• Capital Letters Prohibition: Writing full name in Capital Letters will NOT be accepted as a signature and such applications will be summarily rejected.

1. Registration: Visit the official link on Digialm (https://cdn.digialm.com/EForms/configuredHtml/33131/102306/Index.html) and register with active mobile number and email ID.
2. Profile & Details: Fill in personal details, educational qualifications, shorthand and typing speed credentials.
3. Document Uploads: Upload passport photograph, capture mandatory live photo, upload left thumb impression and signature in prescribed specifications.
4. Fee Payment: Make online fee payment through SBI ePay gateway (₹1500 for UR/OBC/EWS, ₹1300 for SC/ST/PwBD).
5. Confirmation Page: Download and print the Confirmation Page. Keep system-generated Application Number safe for future reference. Do NOT send hard copy to Delhi High Court.

Section II Note (ii) mandates that candidates desiring to apply for both Senior Personal Assistant (SPA) and Personal Assistant (PA) must submit a separate application form and pay the requisite fee separately for each post.

Each application will generate a distinct Application Number and will be processed independently through the respective examination stages.

At every stage of the examination (Typing, Shorthand, Main Descriptive, Interview), candidates must carry:

• Two identical passport size colour photographs (same as uploaded in the online form).
• One Original Photo ID Proof: Aadhaar Card / E-Aadhaar printout, Voter ID Card, Driving Licence, PAN Card, Passport, Employer ID, or ESM Discharge Book.
• Important: If the photo identity card does not display the complete Date of Birth, the candidate must carry an additional original certificate (e.g. 10th marksheet) as proof of Date of Birth.

Section IX (xv) lays down uncompromising anti-malpractice rules. Any candidate found cheating, impersonating, submitting forged documents, carrying electronic gadgets (smartwatch, mobile, bluetooth), or using influence will:

• Have their candidature instantly cancelled for the current recruitment.
• Be debarred for lifetime from all future recruitment processes conducted by the High Court of Delhi.
• Face criminal prosecution under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Information Technology (IT) Act.

Annexure 'A' of the notification enumerates 19 detailed duties and responsibilities (a to s) entrusted to Senior Personal Assistants and Personal Assistants:

• Court & Chamber Dictation: Take verbatim dictation of court proceedings, orders, judgments, and official references in Court, Chamber, or residential office of the Hon’ble Judge.
• Speedy Transcription: Transcribe dictations accurately, expeditiously, and check thoroughly for correctness before submission to the Hon’ble Judge.
• Digital Authentication & Upload: Ensure signed orders/judgments are authenticated, digitally signed, and uploaded to the official server/website; maintain comprehensive record registers.
• Secretarial Administration: Assist the Private Secretary in secretarial/administrative management and discharge PS duties during absence.
• Confidentiality: Maintain absolute confidentiality regarding judicial proceedings, draft judgments, and sensitive judicial correspondence.
• Electronic Security: Ensure safe custody and security of electronic records, passwords, and digital files, preventing any unauthorized access.

Access direct official portals and explore related ongoing court examinations: