Press Council of India Assistant Section Officer Recruitment 2026

The Press Council of India (PCI), a statutory autonomous body under the Government of India, has invited applications for Assistant Section Officer (ASO) posts in Group B, Non-Gazetted. Indian citizens who meet the education and age requirements should review the notice and apply using the prescribed offline form.

There are three vacancies: two for the Unreserved category and one for OBC. Applications are to be submitted offline, but the application opening and closing dates are not stated in the supplied notification text, so candidates should consult the detailed official notice for the current schedule. Selection is through an objective Tier-I examination followed by a qualifying descriptive Tier-II examination.

Important Dates

The source gives both 22 September and 26 September 2026 in connection with the notification: the overview lists 22 September, while the opening notice text says it was officially released on 26 September.

Vacancy Details

The detailed qualification information specifies a bachelor’s degree from a recognised university or institute. The vacancy summary also mentions typing, but the supplied text does not provide a typing speed or separate typing-test standard.

Eligibility Criteria

Educational Qualification

Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree from a recognised university or institute. The notice lists the following as desirable, rather than minimum, qualifications: a postgraduate degree; a degree in law; a degree or diploma in journalism or mass communication; or knowledge of an additional Indian language apart from English and Hindi. The vacancy table also describes the post as requiring graduation and typing, without giving further typing criteria in the supplied text.

Age Limit

The prescribed age range is 20 to 30 years. The upper age limit is relaxable in accordance with the applicable Government of India orders. Age is reckoned as of the closing date for applications, which is not given in the supplied text. The date of birth recorded in a matriculation or secondary examination certificate, or an equivalent certificate, is the accepted proof. Candidates who applied under the 18 May 2024 advertisement and were issued admit cards for the examination held on 4 May 2025 may take part in the direct recruitment examination regardless of the upper age limit prescribed for fresh applicants; they must submit a fresh form and provide their earlier examination roll number.

Application Fee

The application instructions state that payment may be made by demand draft, cheque or online payment. Applicants who appeared under the earlier process and are reapplying with their previous examination roll number are exempt from paying the examination fee for reappearing.

How to Apply

1. Read the detailed notice and download the prescribed application form.
2. Complete the form with the requested personal, educational and category information.
3. Attach self-attested copies of the documents required by the notice.
4. Affix a recent passport-size photograph to the form.
5. If a fee is payable, pay INR 100 by demand draft, cheque or online payment, following the notice instructions, and include the payment receipt or UTR number. Candidates in exempt categories should follow the notice’s fee-exemption instructions.
6. If you applied under the 18 May 2024 advertisement and received an admit card for the 4 May 2025 examination, submit a fresh application and enter the roll number allotted for that examination. No examination fee is payable for reappearing under this provision.
7. Send the completed application and enclosures to: Press Council of India, Soochna Bhawan, 8 CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi-110003.
8. Submit the application by the deadline specified in the detailed official notice. The deadline is not stated in the supplied text.

Salary & Pay Scale

The post is assigned Pay Level 6. The notice also gives the pre-revised scale as Pay Band 2 of INR 9,300–34,800, plus Grade Pay of INR 4,200. The figures shown are the stated pre-revised scale and grade pay; the notification text does not provide a separate detailed salary breakdown.

Selection Process

Selection comprises an objective Tier-I examination and a descriptive Tier-II examination. Tier-II is qualifying in nature. Candidates must meet the minimum qualifying marks separately in every Tier-I section to be considered for shortlisting to Tier-II.

Tier-I carries a penalty of 0.25 marks for each incorrect answer. For Tier-II, candidates write a descriptive paper in English or Hindi to assess writing ability and critical analysis through an essay, précis, letter, application or similar exercise. The paper carries 100 marks, lasts 60 minutes, and has a qualifying threshold of 65% for UR candidates and 60% for OBC candidates.

Eligible candidates should verify the application schedule and submission requirements in the detailed official notice, then send a complete application to the stated address before the closing date.