New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India has modified its previous ruling regarding entry-level judicial service examinations, reducing the mandatory legal practice requirement for prospective candidates from three years to one year. Delivered in a 2:1 majority decision by a bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant alongside Justices A.G. Masih and K. Vinod Chandran, the verdict addresses concerns surrounding the sudden eligibility shift that previously barred fresh law graduates from entering the subordinate judiciary.
Under the modified framework, the one-year practice requirement will formally take effect for all civil judge recruitment examinations notified after April 1, 2027. To prevent immediate hardship for ongoing aspirants, the top court established a transitional window ensuring that candidates appearing for judicial exams notified between May 25, 2025, and March 31, 2027, remain eligible to sit for the tests regardless of prior courtroom experience.
Candidates selected during this transitional period will undergo enhanced professional training before assuming standard judicial duties. According to the bench, recruits entering without prior practice will be appointed as trainee judicial officers for an initial one-year period at a judicial academy, followed by an additional one-year mandatory structured clerkship under experienced judges.
The ruling disposes of a series of review petitions challenging the court’s May 2025 directive that had reinstated a strict three-year bar experience rule. While reiterating that foundational exposure to the legal profession remains essential for judicial officers, the bench emphasized that professional criteria must remain proportionate and balanced against the practical realities faced by young law graduates across the country.
