High Court deletes Telangana’s RTO degree barrier
The court quashed the technical-degree requirement and altered vacancy cycle introduced in 2021, directing reconsideration under the earlier rules.
The High Court quashed the technical-degree requirement and altered vacancy cycle for RTO appointments.
The Telangana High Court has quashed the State’s requirement that Administrative Officers seeking appointment by transfer as Regional Transport Officers hold a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Automobile Engineering or an equivalent qualification. The court called the rule illegal, arbitrary and discriminatory, and said it violated Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution and Section 213 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. [Source: Telangana High Court common order in W.P. Nos. 27209 and 29830 of 2024, September 1, 2026]
The ruling also set aside the altered vacancy cycle introduced through G.O.Ms.No.7 dated January 28, 2021. That cycle allocated five of every ten vacancies to Motor Vehicle Inspectors, two to Administrative Officers and three to direct recruitment. The court said the State had not shown why that ratio matched the duties of an RTO, which it described as predominantly supervisory, regulatory and administrative.
The court directed the authorities to reconsider the petitioners and similarly placed Administrative Officers under the pre-amendment rules. Existing appointments will not automatically be cancelled, though affected officers must receive notice before any action. The Transport Department has not published an implementation timeline in the material reviewed. The State’s rulebook tried to turn an administrative post into an engineering entrance exam; the High Court has now returned it to the road.