State Judicial Services Examinations – In a Nutshell

Judicial Services is one of the most prestigious and sought after Government career options in India. There are thirty different Judicial Service Exams that are conducted at a State level, under the aegis of the twenty six High Courts across India. (Some of the Indian states share a common high court, but have separate Judicial Services cadre)

Eligibility and Age Limit

The basic eligibility for Judicial Services is to have a BCI recognized LLB degree and be a practicing advocate for a minimum number of years (usually seven years) .
The number of years of experience, the maximum age limit, and relaxation for specific groups such as SC, ST, in-service candidates, physically challenged and women candidates are prescribed at the State level.

While any Indian citizen domiciled anywhere in India is eligible to appear in the Judicial Services exam of any state, the only barrier can be the requirement to be proficient in the local language of the State. The prelims and the mains exams will have a part which requires the candidate to translate an essay from or to the local language and otherwise demonstrate reading and writing skills.

Pattern of the Exams

Generally, the Judicial Service Exams are conducted in three successive stages – the Judicial Service Preliminary Examination, the Judicial Service Mains Examination and the Viva-Voce test. The Viva can be considered as a personal interview round.

The Preliminary Exam comprises of objective type questions, with or without negative marking. The scores from the prelims are used only for short listing candidates for the Main Examination and not for the final rankings.

The Judicial Services Mains examination is predominantly a subjective exam covering various law topics, general knowledge, reasoning skills and also assessing the reading, writing and comprehension skills of the candidates in English and local language. Some states also include a computer proficiency test as part of the prelims or mains exams.

The overall score and a section wise cut-off from the Mains exam is used as a filter and successful candidates are called for the Viva-voce test.

The final ranking is compiled using the aggregate scores from the Mains and the Viva-voce exams. Successful candidates are inducted into the Judicial Services and undergo the required training and complete the probationary period to become Judges and judicial officers of the state.

Syllabus for Judicial Service Civil Judge Exam

The syllabus for the Judicial Services Exams is mostly based on the BCI approved LLB syllabus and customized for different states. More weightage may given to areas such as Civil Law and Criminal Law, as compared to areas like Environmental law. In addition, state specific laws are included in testing areas. e.g. State level Rent Control Acts.

At LawMint.com, we are building the largest database of MCQs, online mock tests and practice exams for the Judicial Services Preliminary Exams.

Judicial Services Domicile Requirements

While there might not be any domicile requirements, most states have a mandatory requirement in terms of knowledge of the local language (Writing, Reading and Speaking). In addition, the candidate may be tested on his / her knowledge of the local customs of the state.

You can find the details of the syllabus and other specifics of State level Judicial Services Exams articles on LawMint.com.

States – High Courts – Websites

You can visit the official websites of the state High Courts to keep track of the notifications about the judicial services examination conducted by them.

State / UT : Uttar Pradesh
High Court : Allahabad High Court
Official website : http://allahabadhighcourt.in/

State / UT : Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu
High Court : Bombay High Court
Official website : https://bombayhighcourt.nic.in/

State / UT : Maharashtra
High Court : Bombay High Court
Official website : https://bombayhighcourt.nic.in/

State / UT : Andaman and Nicobar Islands
High Court : Calcutta High Court
Official website : https://www.calcuttahighcourt.gov.in/

State / UT : West Bengal
High Court : Calcutta High Court
Official website : https://www.calcuttahighcourt.gov.in/

State / UT : National Capital Territory of Delhi
High Court : Delhi High Court
Official website : http://delhihighcourt.nic.in

State / UT : Mizoram
High Court : Gauhati High Court
Official website : https://ghcazlbench.nic.in

State / UT : Arunachal Pradesh
High Court : Gauhati High Court
Official website : http://ghcitanagar.gov.in

State / UT : Assam
High Court : Gauhati High Court
Official website : http://ghconline.nic.in

State / UT : Gujarat
High Court : Gujarat High Court
Official website : https://gujarathighcourt.nic.in

State / UT : Andhra Pradesh
High Court : Andhra Pradesh High Court
Official website : http://hc.ap.nic.in

State / UT : Telangana
High Court : Telangana High Court
Official website : http://hc.tap.nic.in

State / UT : Goa
High Court : Bombay High Court
Official website : http://hcbombayatgoa.nic.in

State / UT : Karnataka
High Court : Karnataka High Court
Official website : https://karnatakajudiciary.kar.nic.in/

State / UT : Puducherry
High Court : Madras High Court
Official website : http://hcmadras.tn.nic.in

State / UT : Tamil Nadu
High Court : Madras High Court
Official website : http://hcmadras.tn.nic.in

State / UT : Manipur
High Court : Manipur High Court
Official website : https://hcmimphal.nic.in

State / UT : Rajasthan
High Court : Rajasthan High Court
Official website : https://hcraj.nic.in/hcraj/

State / UT : Chhattisgarh
High Court : Chhattisgarh High Court
Official website : http://highcourt.cg.gov.in

State / UT : Chandigarh
High Court : Punjab and Haryana High Court
Official website : https://highcourtchd.gov.in

State / UT : Haryana
High Court : Punjab and Haryana High Court
Official website : https://highcourtchd.gov.in

State / UT : Punjab
High Court : Punjab and Haryana High Court
Official website : https://highcourtchd.gov.in

State / UT : Kerala
High Court : Kerala High Court
Official website : http://highcourtofkerala.nic.in

State / UT : Lakshadweep
High Court : Kerala High Court
Official website : http://highcourtofkerala.nic.in

State / UT : Sikkim
High Court : Sikkim High Court
Official website : http://highcourtofsikkim.nic.in

State / UT : Uttarakhand
High Court : Uttarakhand High Court
Official website : https://highcourtofuttarakhand.gov.in

State / UT : Himachal Pradesh
High Court : Himachal Pradesh High Court
Official website : http://hphighcourt.nic.in

State / UT : Jharkhand
High Court : Jharkhand High Court
Official website : https://jharkhandhighcourt.nic.in

State / UT : Jammu and Kashmir
High Court : Jammu and Kashmir High Court
Official website : http://jkhighcourt.nic.in

State / UT : Ladakh
High Court : Jammu and Kashmir High Court
Official website : http://jkhighcourt.nic.in

State / UT : Nagaland
High Court : Gauhati High Court
Official website : https://kohimahighcourt.gov.in

State / UT : Meghalaya
High Court : Meghalaya High Court
Official website : http://meghalayahighcourt.nic.in

State / UT : Madhya Pradesh
High Court : Madhya Pradesh High Court
Official website : https://mphc.gov.in

State / UT : Odisha
High Court : Orissa High Court
Official website : https://orissahighcourt.nic.in

State / UT : Bihar
High Court : Patna High Court
Official website : http://www.patnahighcourt.gov.in/

State / UT : Tripura
High Court : Tripura High Court
Official website : https://thc.nic.in