In a significant move impacting lakhs of aspirants, the Uttar Pradesh government has announced a one-time age relaxation for candidates applying for a massive direct recruitment drive to fill 32,679 police posts. The decision, taken on January 5, 2026, comes after demands from ruling party legislators and aims to include a wider pool of candidates who were previously excluded due to age limits.
What the New Age Limits Mean for Aspirants
The government order grants a uniform three-year relaxation in the upper age limit for this recruitment cycle. For general category male candidates, the age limit has been raised from 18-22 years to 18-25 years. General category women candidates will now be eligible up to 28 years, instead of the previous cap of 25 years.
The benefit has also been extended to candidates from Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC), who already enjoy a standard five-year relaxation. For SC/ST/OBC male candidates, the limit is now 18-30 years (up from 18-27). For women from these categories, the upper age limit has been increased from 30 to 33 years.
The Push from MLAs and Government's Swift Action
The policy shift followed formal requests made by BJP MLA Shalabh Manish Tripathi from Deoria Sadar and NISHAD Party MLA Anil Tripathi from Sant Kabir Nagar. In letters to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the MLAs highlighted that many dedicated youth, especially from the general category, had been preparing for years but were aging out due to delays in recruitment announcements.
MLA Shalabh Tripathi stated that he wrote to the CM requesting the increase, and the government acted promptly on the appeal. The relaxation applies to recruitment for posts including Constable Civil Police, Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC), Special Security Force, Women Battalion, Mounted Police, and Jail Warders.
Legal Basis and Recruitment Timeline
The government cited Rule 3 of the Uttar Pradesh Public Service (Relaxation of Age Limit for Recruitment) Rules, 1992 as the legal foundation for this one-time measure. The order was issued as a continuation of the recruitment advertisement published on December 31, 2025.
This recruitment drive, dubbed Recruitment-2025, is one of the largest in recent times for the Uttar Pradesh Police. Officials stated that this relaxation will allow a large number of previously ineligible candidates to finally get an opportunity to serve.
The move is expected to significantly alter the competitive landscape for these coveted government jobs, offering a renewed chance to thousands who had nearly given up hope due to crossing the age threshold. It underscores the administration's responsive approach to the concerns of the state's youth.
