AP Police Reservation & Special Category Quotas

Both of SLPRB AP’s 16 September 2026 notifications — SI & allied (Rc.No.81/Rect.1) and PC & allied (Rc.No.91/Rect.2) — reserve vacancies two separate ways: a communal reservation that applies to every post code, and a set of special-category quotas on top of it. The two notifications do NOT share the same special categories — SI’s list is built around people already serving in AP Police or SPF, PC’s around Home Guards and Prisons Department families — so this page keeps them separate rather than blending them into one table. The overview guide only mentions that reservation applies.

How reservation is layered

Every vacancy is first assigned a community reservation point (OC, BC-A/B/C/D/E, SC, ST or EWS) under Rule 22 of the A.P. State & Subordinate Service Rules, 1996. Within that, a share of vacancies in each post code is further earmarked for the special categories below. Both notifications say the same thing about how the two layers interact: special-category reservation is adjusted “in a horizontal manner on compartmental basis” — meaning a special-category candidate still counts against their own communal category too, the two aren’t separate additional blocks of vacancies. If a special-category quota goes unfilled for want of eligible candidates, those vacancies revert to the general pool of that same communal category, not to a different one.

Communal reservation

Both notifications apply EWS, BC-A, BC-B, BC-C, BC-D, BC-E, SC (Group-I, Group-II and Group-III) and ST reservation exactly as laid down in Rule 22 of the A.P. State & Subordinate Service Rules, 1996 — neither notification re-prints the percentage table itself, it just cites the Rule. A few category-specific rules both notifications do spell out:

• EWS applies only to candidates who are local to AP State and whose gross annual family income (from all sources — salary, agriculture, business, profession) is below Rs. 8.00 lakh, certified by the Tahsildar on or after 1 April 2026.
• BC candidates must produce both a Community Certificate and a Non-Creamy Layer certificate issued on or after 1 April 2026; without it at PMT/PET verification, they’re moved to Open Category (OC) permanently — no switching back later.
• Reservation and any age relaxation tied to the BC-E group is currently subject to pending litigation before the Honourable Courts, except for Sl. Nos. 1–14 of the BC-E list, which remain protected under a 2010 Supreme Court interim order.
• SC candidates must submit their community certificate based on A.P. Ordinance No. 2 of 2025 (dated 17.04.2025), reflecting the SC Sub-Classification into Group-I, Group-II and Group-III.

Women’s reservation

Women get a horizontal reservation within each communal category (including EWS), under direct recruitment only. The percentage differs by post code:

Post codes 31, 42 and 53 are men-only (see the PMT/PET guide for the full eligibility table), so no women’s reservation applies to them; post code 54 (Warder, Women) is itself women-only. If eligible women candidates aren’t available in a given year, their reserved vacancies are NOT carried forward — both notifications say they get filled by men of the same category instead.

Local candidate rules

Reservation to Local Candidates follows The Andhra Pradesh Public Employment (Organisation of Local Cadres and Regulation of Direct Recruitment) Order, 2025 (G.O.Ms.No.45, dated 20.04.2026). Under direct recruitment, both notifications apply the same split: the first 5% of posts in each category are filled on merit in Open Competition among locals and non-locals together, and the remaining 95% are filled by local candidates only. A candidate claiming local status submits a Study Certificate for Class I to VII from their school, or, failing that, a Residence Certificate from the Tahsildar for the same period; a single certificate of either kind is enough. Candidates who migrated to AP from Telangana within ten years of 2 June 2014 are treated as local candidates at their place of residence. See the vacancies-by-district guide for how many Local Recruitment vs. Direct Recruitment vacancies exist per district/zone.

Special category quotas: SI posts (11, 12, 31)

Special category quotas: PC posts (21, 22, 42, 53)

Post 54 (Warder, Women) has no special-category quota listed in the PC notification. Post 22’s special-category vacancies are part of the 285 Direct Recruitment vacancies noted on the district/zone breakdown page, not counted separately.

What each special category actually means

• Police Executive (PE) — SI posts only: Police Constables, Head Constables and Assistant Sub Inspectors in AP Police who are approved probationers with three years of completed service as of the notification date (time served as a Stipendiary Cadet Trainee doesn’t count). Disqualified by any major punishment, three or more minor punishments, an ongoing punishment/suspension/oral enquiry, being declared a deserter, or compulsory retirement/removal from service.
• Police Ministerial (PM) — SI posts only: the ministerial-staff counterpart to PE, for AP Police Department’s non-executive staff.
• Meritorious Sportsperson (MSP): represented AP state or India in a recognised sport at national/international level, or won a medal at State level or All-India Inter-University competition, in a Category-A or Category-B listed discipline (over 60 disciplines across both categories, from Athletics and Archery to Kho-Kho and Yogasana). Category-A candidates get preference; Category-B is only considered once Category-A vacancies are exhausted. Written tests remain mandatory even for sports-quota applicants.
• NCC: holders of NCC ‘C’ Certificate are preferred; ‘B’ is considered next if ‘C’ candidates run out, then ‘A’.
• Ex-Servicemen: served in the Army, Navy or Air Force of the Union (paramilitary and Defence Security Corps service doesn’t count) and retired after earning pension, released on medical grounds with disability pension, released due to establishment reduction, or released after completing their engagement term with gratuity.
• Children of Police Personnel (CPP) — SI posts only: children of AP Police staff up to the rank of Inspector, whether serving, retired, or deceased — excludes children of anyone compulsorily retired, removed, or dismissed.
• CDI: children of AP Police personnel who died or were medically invalided due to violent action by extremists/criminals, or due to violence while on duty generally.
• Home Guard (HG) — PC posts only: currently serving as an enrolled AP Home Guard with at least 360 days of service in the preceding two years, and still serving as of the notification date.
• Children of Jail Personnel (CJP) — post 53 only: children of AP Prisons & Correctional Services staff up to the rank of Jailor, serving, retired, or deceased.
• Members/Children of SPF (MSPF/CSPF) — post 31 only: serving members of the Special Protection Force, or their children (including where the SPF member is retired, deceased, or incapacitated).

How to claim a category

• Every category claimed — community, EWS, local-candidate or special-category — is selected at the time of the online application itself; both notifications say it cannot be added or changed afterward.
• Proof for every category claimed (HG/CPP/CDI/CJP certificates must be dated on or after the notification date; earlier-dated ones aren’t entertained) is physically verified at the PMT/PET stage: originals plus one Gazetted-Officer-attested photocopy.
• If a special category’s vacancies go unfilled for want of eligible candidates, they’re absorbed back into the general direct-recruitment pool of that same communal category — not left vacant and not handed to a different category.

Related guides

• AP Police Exams: the full overview — eligibility, exam pattern, syllabus, fees and how to apply, both notifications in one place.
• AP Police PMT & PET Standards
• AP Police 2026 Vacancies by District & Zone