Supreme Court of India reduced the
mandatory active bar practice requirement from 3 years to 1 year for
entry-level Civil Judge, Junior Division posts
¨
Supreme Court of India
reduced the mandatory active bar practice requirement from 3 years to 1 year
for entry-level Civil Judge, Junior Division posts.
¨
The decision was
delivered by a three-judge bench in a 2:1 majority verdict.
¨
The judgment came on a
review petition and modified the court’s earlier judgment of 20 May 2025.
¨
Civil Judge, Junior
Division is an important entry-level post in many State judicial services.
¨
Eligibility conditions
for judicial service recruitment are governed by the respective State judicial
service rules.
¨
Selected candidates must
complete one year of intensive training at their respective State Judicial
Academies.
¨
Candidates must also
undergo a six-month clerkship under a District and Sessions Judge.
¨
They must additionally
complete a six-month clerkship under a sitting High Court judge.
¨
The training and
clerkships aim to provide candidates with practical exposure to judicial work
and courtroom procedures.
¨
The bench comprised Chief
Justice of India Justice Surya Kant, Justice August George Masih and Justice K.
Vinod Chandran.
¨
Justice K. Vinod Chandran
dissented from the majority judgment.
¨
He observed that
classroom training cannot substitute for experience gained through active
practice at the Bar.
¨
The court also provided a
transitional waiver.
¨
Candidates appearing in
judicial examinations notified between 20 May 2025 and 31 March 2027 will not
be required to produce a practice certificate.
¨
The decision seeks to
balance practical legal experience at the Bar with formal judicial training for
entry-level judicial officers.
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