The Delhi High Court PA & SPA Recruitment 2026 notification is officially out, bringing a major opportunity for graduates with strong English shorthand and typing skills.
Delhi High Court has announced 150 vacancies for Senior Personal Assistant (SPA) and Personal Assistant (PA). Online applications will open on 15 September 2026 at 11:00 AM and close on 5 October 2026 at 11:00 PM. The examination date will be announced separately on the official Delhi High Court website.
The recruitment is particularly important because these are Group B posts, with SPA placed at Level 8 and PA at Level 7 of the 7th CPC Pay Matrix.
This guide explains the vacancies, eligibility, shorthand requirements, selection process, descriptive paper and application process in simple language.
Delhi High Court PA & SPA Recruitment 2026: Important Dates
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Notification | 5 September 2026 |
| Online Application Starts | 15 September 2026, 11:00 AM |
| Last Date to Apply & Pay Fee | 5 October 2026, 11:00 PM |
| Correction Window | 12 October, 11:00 AM to 14 October 2026, 11:00 PM |
| Admit Card | To be announced |
| Exam Date | To be announced |
Delhi High Court has advised candidates to regularly check its official website for the examination schedule and admit-card notice.
Delhi High Court PA & SPA Vacancy 2026
A total of 150 vacancies have been notified.Senior Personal Assistant — 117 Vacancies
| Category | Vacancies |
|---|---|
| General | 43 |
| EWS | 14 |
| OBC-NCL | 32 |
| SC | 16 |
| ST | 12 |
| Total | 117 |
SPA is a Group B post at Level 8 of the 7th CPC Pay Matrix. Seven of the 117 vacancies are horizontally reserved for eligible PwBD categories.
| Category | Vacancies |
|---|---|
| General | Nil |
| EWS | 7 |
| OBC-NCL | 16 |
| SC | 5 |
| ST | 5 |
| Total | 33 |
PA is a Group B post at Level 7 of the 7th CPC Pay Matrix. Three vacancies are horizontally reserved for eligible PwBD categories.
An important point for General category candidates
There is no General-category vacancy for Personal Assistant in this notification. Delhi High Court has expressly clarified that provisions in the notice relating to General candidates for PA therefore apply only to SPA where relevant.
Who Can Apply for Delhi High Court SPA 2026?
For Senior Personal Assistant, a candidate must be:
A graduate from a recognised university, with:
English Shorthand: minimum 110 words per minute
English Typing on Computer: minimum 40 words per minute
and good working knowledge of computers.
The required qualifications must be possessed by the closing date, 5 October 2026.
Who Can Apply for Delhi High Court PA 2026?
For Personal Assistant, a candidate must also be a graduate from a recognised university.
The skill requirement is:
English Shorthand: minimum 100 words per minute
English Typing on Computer: minimum 40 words per minute
along with good working knowledge of computers.
So the major skill difference between the two posts is:
| Requirement | SPA | PA |
|---|---|---|
| Graduation | Yes | Yes |
| English Typing | 40 WPM | 40 WPM |
| English Shorthand | 110 WPM | 100 WPM |
| Computer Knowledge | Required | Required |
Candidates interested in both posts must submit separate applications and pay the prescribed fee separately for each post.
Delhi High Court PA & SPA Age Limit
The basic age requirement is: 18 to 32 years as on 1 January 2026
According to the notification, the candidate should have been born not earlier than 2 January 1994 and not later than 1 January 2008.
Age relaxation includes:
| Category | Upper-age relaxation |
|---|---|
| SC/ST | 5 years |
| OBC-NCL | 3 years |
| PwBD — General/EWS | 10 years |
| PwBD — OBC | 13 years |
| PwBD — SC/ST | 15 years |
| Ex-Servicemen | 3 years, subject to the notified calculation |
Regular employees of the Delhi High Court who fulfil the educational requirements are not subject to an upper-age limit under the conditions specified in the notice. This benefit does not extend generally to employees of other government departments, PSUs or Delhi District Courts.
Delhi High Court PA & SPA Selection Process 2026
This is where candidates should read the notification carefully.
The recruitment is not simply a shorthand test.
Both SPA and PA have four stages:
Stage I — English Typing Test
Candidates must type at least 40 WPM in English on computer.
The test lasts 10 minutes, and the permissible mistakes are up to 3% of the total words typed.
Stage I is qualifying.
Stage II — English Shorthand Test
This is where SPA and PA differ substantially.
Senior Personal Assistant
Speed: 110 WPM
Dictation: 550 words in 5 minutes
Transcription: 45 minutes
Marks: 120
Candidates get two opportunities, and the better performance is considered.
Personal Assistant
Speed: 100 WPM
Dictation: 500 words in 5 minutes
Transcription: 45 minutes
Marks: 110
Again, candidates get two shorthand dictation-transcription attempts, with the better one considered.
This stage deserves serious preparation because shorthand marks are not merely qualifying marks.
They contribute to the final merit list.
Stage III — Main Descriptive Examination
This is one of the most important parts of the Delhi High Court PA/SPA recruitment.
The descriptive English examination carries:
100 Marks |120 Minutes
| Component | Marks |
|---|---|
| Essay — about 250 words | 40 |
| Letter Writing | 15 |
| Grammar & Comprehension Passage | 25 |
| Hindi to English Translation | 10 |
| English to Hindi Translation | 10 |
| Total | 100 |
For SPA, the minimum passing marks are 50% for General candidates and 45% for Reserved-category candidates, including applicable PwBD candidates. The PA table reflects the reserved-category qualifying standard because there is no General-category PA vacancy in this recruitment.
Don't make the mistake of preparing only shorthand
Many stenography candidates naturally spend most of their time increasing shorthand speed.
That is necessary—but incomplete.
The Main Descriptive Examination itself carries 100 marks and directly contributes to final merit.
A candidate who has excellent shorthand but weak essay writing, comprehension, grammar or translation can therefore lose valuable final-selection marks.
For serious candidates, preparation should run on two tracks simultaneously:
shorthand Accuracy + Descriptive English
Stage IV — Interview
The Interview carries 15 marks, with no minimum qualifying marks prescribed for the interview itself.
What Actually Decides the Final Merit?
This is perhaps the most important point in the entire notification.
The final selection/merit list is prepared by adding marks obtained in:
Stage II — English Shorthand Test
Stage III — Main Descriptive Examination
Stage IV — Interview
The English Typing Test is qualifying in nature.
Therefore, your preparation strategy should not simply be:
“Qualify shorthand and somehow clear descriptive.”
It should be:
Maximise Shorthand + Maximise Descriptive + Perform Well in Interview
That is the real merit strategy.
Why the Descriptive Paper Should Be Started Early
The Main examination contains an Essay worth 40 marks, which alone accounts for 40% of the descriptive paper.
But candidates must also handle letter writing, comprehension, grammar and translation within 120 minutes.
These are skills.
And skills do not improve simply by reading model answers.
A strong preparation cycle is:
Learn → Write → Check → Correct → Rewrite
For essay preparation, candidates should start building content around current social, legal, governance, technology and national issues rather than memorising a fixed set of essays.
For translation, practise both directions because the notification specifically provides 10 marks for Hindi-to-English and 10 marks for English-to-Hindi translation.
Delhi High Court PA/SPA Application Fee 2026
The application fee is:
| Category | Fee |
|---|---|
| General/OBC-NCL/EWS | ₹1,500 |
| SC/ST/eligible PwBD | ₹1,300 |
Applicable transaction charges are additional.
Payment can be made online through UPI, Net Banking, Credit Card or Debit Card. The fee is non-refundable.
Remember: if you apply separately for both SPA and PA, a separate application and fee are required for each post.
Important OBC-NCL Rule
Candidates claiming OBC reservation should read the Delhi-specific provision very carefully.
The notification says OBC reservation is available only to candidates possessing the appropriate certificate issued by the competent authority of the Government of NCT of Delhi for castes recognised/notified as OBC by the Delhi Government.
Where required, the Non-Creamy Layer certificate must also comply with the notification’s current-year requirements.
Do not assume that every Central OBC certificate automatically satisfies the Delhi High Court recruitment condition.
Verify this point before applying.
How to Apply for Delhi High Court PA & SPA 2026
Applications are online only through the Delhi High Court website. Candidates should register using an active email address and mobile number, complete the application, upload the prescribed photograph/signature and pay the applicable fee online.
The safest process is:
- Check whether you meet the age, graduation, shorthand and typing requirements.
- Choose SPA, PA or both.
- Apply online from 15 September 2026 through the official Delhi High Court website.
- Complete the form carefully and upload the prescribed photograph/signature.
- Pay the required fee.
- Generate and preserve the confirmation page.
- If applying for both PA and SPA, complete separate applications.
Application Correction Window
Delhi High Court will provide an application correction window from:
12 October 2026, 11:00 AM to 14 October 2026, 11:00 PM
However, candidates cannot modify certain crucial fields, including Name, Category, Date of Birth and Mobile Number.
Correction charges are:
First correction/re-submission: ₹200
Second correction/re-submission: ₹500
Only two correction opportunities are permitted during the correction window.
So it is much better to complete the original application carefully rather than depending on the correction window.
Who Should Seriously Consider This Recruitment?
This recruitment is particularly attractive for candidates who already have—or can realistically develop—the required shorthand speed.
The headline vacancy number of 150 is significant, but eligibility is skill-specific.
A graduate who does not possess the required shorthand and typing ability should not look at this as a conventional graduate-level written examination.
The key requirements are:
Typing + Shorthand + Descriptive English
And importantly, all three matter at different stages of selection.
How Should You Start Preparing?
If you are already near 100–110 WPM shorthand, your preparation should not remain shorthand-only.
Start practising:
40 WPM typing accuracy, shorthand transcription, 250-word essays, formal letters, grammar and comprehension, and Hindi-English/English-Hindi translation.
A candidate preparing only for Stage I and Stage II may reach the descriptive stage and suddenly discover that essay writing and translation require a completely different skill set.
Start both early.
Final Takeaway
The Delhi High Court PA & SPA Recruitment 2026 offers:
117 Senior Personal Assistant vacancies
33 Personal Assistant vacancies
150 vacancies in total
with applications opening on 15 September 2026.
But candidates should look beyond the vacancy number.
This recruitment rewards a combination of:
Typing accuracy
Shorthand speed and accuracy
Descriptive English
Interview performance
And because Shorthand + Descriptive Mains + Interview marks are combined for final merit, your target should not simply be to qualify each stage.
Prepare to score.
Read the official notification carefully before submitting your application, particularly the category, reservation and shorthand requirements.
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