Archive · 25 Sep 2026
Indore High Court Upholds ₹25,000 Late Fee For ADPO Applications
A person named Mohammad Rizwan applied late for a government legal officer examination.
He challenged a ₹25,000 fee charged for applying after the deadline.
The application deadline was May 8.
A smaller ₹3,000 fee was available for applications submitted from May 9 to 15.
A much larger fee applied from May 16 to September 23.
Rizwan said the delay happened because of personal problems, but he did not explain them clearly.
The High Court said the explanation was not enough and upheld the fee.
The court also said higher fees can discourage people from applying late.
The Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court dismissed Mohammad Rizwan’s challenge to a ₹25,000 late fee for delayed ADPO applications.
Justice Pavan Kumar Dwivedi ruled on September 22 that Rizwan had not provided a plausible explanation for missing the deadline.
MPPSC applications were due by May 8, with a ₹3,000 late fee from May 9 to 15.
Applications submitted from May 16 to September 23 attracted the ₹25,000 late fee.
The court accepted that progressively higher fees were intended to discourage delayed applications and rejected an intervention application.
- Who
- Mohammad Rizwan, the Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission, and the Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
- What
- The court dismissed a challenge to MPPSC’s ₹25,000 late fee for delayed assistant district public prosecution officer applications.
- When
- The ruling was delivered on September 22; applications were due by May 8, with late-fee periods extending through September 23.
- Where
- The Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court in Madhya Pradesh.
- Why
- The court accepted that progressively higher late fees were intended to discourage delayed applications and found that Rizwan had not provided a concrete reason for the delay.
Petitioner’s Position
MPPSC and Court’s Position
Amount of late fee
Petitioner’s Position
Rizwan argued that the ₹25,000 fee was exorbitant.
MPPSC and Court’s Position
MPPSC defended the progressively higher fees as a way to discourage delayed applications, and the court accepted that reasoning.
Reason for missing the deadline
Petitioner’s Position
Rizwan attributed the delay to unavoidable personal reasons and circumstances beyond his control.
MPPSC and Court’s Position
The court found that he had not provided a plausible or concrete explanation for missing the deadline.
Intervention application
Petitioner’s Position
The intervenor sought relief for himself in the proceedings.
MPPSC and Court’s Position
The court rejected the application, stating that an intervenor may support or oppose the petitioner’s relief but cannot seek independent relief.
- Case petitioner
- Mohammad Rizwan
- Court
- Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court
- Judge
- Justice Pavan Kumar Dwivedi
- Application deadline
- May 8
- First late fee
- ₹3,000 for applications submitted from May 9 to 15
- Higher late fee
- ₹25,000 for applications submitted from May 16 to September 23
- Recruiting body
- Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission (MPPSC)