The Supreme Court has reduced the mandatory legal practice requirement for candidates appearing in the entry-level judicial service examination from three years to one year. The decision changes the eligibility requirement for law graduates seeking to enter the lower judiciary.
The court’s decision is aimed at revising the eligibility framework for recruitment to entry-level judicial posts and comes amid discussions over the qualifications and practical experience required for candidates entering judicial service.
Under the earlier requirement, candidates were required to have at least three years of legal practice before becoming eligible for the entry-level judicial examination. The revised requirement brings the minimum period of practice down to one year.
The change is expected to provide law graduates with an opportunity to become eligible for judicial service at an earlier stage of their careers. Candidates will, however, still have to meet other eligibility conditions prescribed for the examination and recruitment process.
The issue of practical experience for judicial officers has been a subject of discussion for several years, with different views on whether fresh law graduates should be allowed to enter the judicial service directly or should first gain experience in legal practice.
The Supreme Court’s decision seeks to strike a balance between providing younger law graduates an opportunity to join the judiciary and ensuring that candidates have some exposure to legal practice before taking up judicial responsibilities.
The revised requirement will be relevant to future recruitment processes for entry-level judicial service, subject to the applicable rules and directions governing individual examinations.
