Railway Board Secretariat Service Assistant Section Officers’ Grade (Direct Recruit Competitive Examination) Regulations, 2026: Notification dated 01.06.2026
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
(Railway Board)
NOTIFICATION
New Delhi, the 1st June, 2026
G.S.R. 438(E).— In pursuance of sub-rules (1) and (4) of rule 10 of the Railway Board Secretariat Service Rules, 2026, the President hereby makes the following regulations, namely:-
1. Short title and commencement.- (1) These regulations may be called the Railway Board Secretariat Service Assistant Section Officers’ Grade (Direct Recruit Competitive Examination) Regulations, 2026.
(2) They shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.
2. Definitions.- (1) In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires,-
(a) “available vacancies” means such vacancies in the Assistant Section Officers’ Grade of the Service as are required to be filled on the results of open competitive examination;
(b) “examination” means a competitive examination held by the Commission for direct recruitment to the Assistant Section Officers’ Grade of the Service;
(c) “Commission” means the Staff Selection Commission.
(2) The words and expressions used herein and not defined, but defined in the Railway Board Secretariat Service Rules, 2026 shall have the same meanings assigned to them in the rules.
3. Holding of examination.- (1) The examination shall be conducted by the Commission in the manner notified from time to time by the Government of India in the Department of Personnel and Training, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.
(2) The dates on which and the places at which the examination shall be held shall be fixed by the Commission.
4. Conditions of eligibility.- In order to be eligible to compete at the examination, a candidate must satisfy the following conditions, namely:-
(a) Nationality –
(i) he must be a citizen of India; or
(ii) he must belong to such categories of persons as may from time to time be notified in this behalf by the Government of India in the Department of Personnel and Training, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.
(b) Age—
The candidate must have attained the age of 20 years, and must not have attained the age of 30 years on the 1st day of August of the year in which the examination is held:
Provided that if the recruitment is made by the Staff Selection Commission through a combined examination by which recruitment to other posts is also made, the crucial date for determining the age limit shall be as fixed by the Staff Selection Commission:
Provided further that the upper age limit may be relaxed in respect of such categories of persons as may, from time to time, be notified in this behalf by the Government of India in the Department of Personnel and Training, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, to the extent notified in respect of each category.
(c) Educational qualifications.– The candidate must –
(A) hold a degree of a University established or incorporated by or under a Central Act, a Provincial Act or a State Act, or otherwise possess any qualification recognized by the Central Government as equivalent thereto; and
(B) qualify a proficiency test in computer operations approved or conducted by the Commission:
Provided that-
(a) in exceptional cases, a candidate who, though not possessing any of the qualifications specified in this clause, may be treated by the Commission as qualified if he has passed such examinations conducted by any institution as are, in the opinion of the Commission, of a standard sufficient to justify his admission to the examination; and
(b) candidates who are otherwise qualified but have taken degrees from Foreign Universities may also be admitted to the examination at the discretion of the Commission.
(d) Fees.– Subject to such exemptions or concessions or both, as may be notified in this behalf by the Government of India in the Department of Personnel and Training, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions from time to time, the candidate shall pay the fees specified by the Commission.
5. Decision as to eligibility.– The decision of the Commission as to the eligibility or otherwise of a candidate for admission to the examination shall be final and no candidate to whom a certificate of admission has not been issued by the Commission shall be admitted to the examination.
6. Results.- (1) The names of the candidates who are considered by the Commission to be suitable for appointment on the results of the examination shall be arranged in the order of merit and subject to the provisions of sub-regulation (5) of Regulation 7, they shall be recommended for appointment up to the number of appointments required to be made.
(2) The form and manner of communication of the results of the examination to individual candidates shall be decided by the Commission in their discretion, and the Commission shall not enter into any correspondence with the individual candidates regarding the results.
7. Appointments.- (1) Success at the examination shall confer no right to appointment to the Assistant Section Officers’ Grade of the Service unless the candidate recommended by the Commission successfully completes such of the Training Programme or Foundation Course as the Central Government in the Ministry of Railways may prescribe.
(2) Success at the examination shall confer no right to appointment to the Assistant Section Officers’ Grade of the Service unless the Central Government in the Ministry of Railways is satisfied, after such enquiry as may be considered necessary, that the candidate having regard to his character and antecedents is suitable in all respects for appointment to public service.
(3) No candidate shall be appointed to the Assistant Section Officers’ Grade of the Service unless he is, after such Medical examination as the Central Government may prescribe, found to be free from any mental or physical defect which is likely to interfere with the discharge of the duties of the Service.
(4) No person who has more than one spouse living or who, having a spouse living, marries in any case in which such marriage is void by reason of its taking place during the life time of such spouse, and no person whose marriage is void by reason of his or her spouse having already a spouse living at the time of such marriage shall be eligible for any appointment on the results of the examination:
Provided that Central Government in the Ministry of Railways may, if satisfied that there are special grounds for so doing, exempt any person from the operation of this sub-regulation.
(5) Appointments to the Assistant Section Officers’ Grade of the Service on the results of any examination shall be made to the extent of the available vacancies, in the order of the merit of the candidates.
(6) Appointments to the Service shall be subject to orders regarding special representation in service for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, Persons with Benchmark Disabilities and other special categories of persons, issued by the Central Government from time to time.
8. Penalty for misconduct.– A candidate who is or has been declared by the Commission to be guilty of –
(a) obtaining support for his candidature by any means; or
(b) impersonating; or
(c) procuring impersonation by any person; or
(d) submitting fabricated documents or documents which have been tampered with; or
(e) making statements which are incorrect or false, or suppressing material information; or
(f) resorting to any other irregular or improper means in connection with his candidature for the examination; or
(g) using unfair means in the examination hall; or
(h) misbehaving in the examination hall; or
(i) attempting to commit, or as the case may be, abetting the commission of all or any of the acts specified in the foregoing sub-regulations;
shall in addition to rendering himself liable to criminal prosecution, be liable –
(A) to be disqualified by the Commission from the examination for which he is a candidate; or
(B) to be debarred either permanently or for a specified period-
(i) by the Commission from any examination or selection held by them;
(ii) by the Central Government from any employment under them; and
(C) if he is already in service under the Central Government, to disciplinary action under the appropriate rules. Provided that no penalty under this regulation shall be imposed except after –
(i) giving the candidate a reasonable opportunity of making such representation in writing as he may wish to make in that behalf; and
(ii) taking the representation, if any submitted by the candidate, within a period allowed to him, into consideration.
[F. No. ERB-I/2012/11/2]
V.S. DAHIYA, Jt. Secy.
COMMENTS