It continued to support the principle that candidates should have exposure to the legal profession before entering the judiciary: Supreme Court
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday relaxed the mandatory legal practice requirement for appearing in entry-level judicial service examinations, reducing it from three years to one year.
A three-judge bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices A.G. Masih and K. Vinod Chandran delivered a 2:1 verdict while dealing with review petitions against its May 2025 ruling prescribing three years of legal practice for recruitment as Civil Judges (Junior Division).
The court said candidates appearing in judicial examinations notified between May 25, 2025, and March 31, 2027, would be eligible irrespective of prior legal experience.
Candidates selected during this transitional period would, however, be appointed as trainee judicial officers for one year and thereafter undergo a further one-year structured clerkship.
For examinations notified after April 1, 2027, the revised requirement of one year of prior legal practice would apply.
The court said it continued to support the principle that candidates should have exposure to the legal profession before entering the judiciary, but held that the earlier three-year requirement had caused hardship to young lawyers and law graduates because it was introduced without a transitional arrangement.
In May 2025, the Supreme Court had barred fresh law graduates from appearing for entry-level judicial service examinations by restoring the minimum three-year practice requirement.
