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Judicial Service Exams 2024: State-wise Syllabus & Pattern, Eligibility
The Judicial Service Examination or the Provincial Civil Service Judicial Examination (PCS-J) is an entry level exam for law graduates. Each state conducts its own Judicial Service examination for recruitment of civil judges and district magistrates. The government is also mulling on introducing an All India Judicial Service Exam for recruitment of judges.
This Story also Contains
- States Conducting Judicial Service Examination
- Judicial Exam Eligibility
- Application Process for Judicial Service Exams
- Stages of Judicial Services Examination
- Syllabus for Judicial Services Examination
- Judicial Services Examination Syllabus for Preliminary Examination
- Indian Judicial Service Examination - State Wise Subjects
- Judiciary Exam Syllabus Mains
The members are appointed by the state governments under the supervision of the respective high court, based on Judicial Service Examinations. Every High Court has under its supervision the members of the subordinate judiciary of the state that falls under its jurisdiction. Members of the subordinate judiciary (popularly known as the judicial service or the PCS (J)-Provincial Civil Service-Judicial) occupy the offices of the presiding officers of various courts right up to the post of District Judge.
Appering for the judicial services exam is a good career option for students who have completed their law programme namely 3-year LLB, 5-year LLB or LLM. It is not mandatory for law graduates to appear in All India Bar examination to appear for Judicial Services Examination.
States Conducting Judicial Service Examination
State Judicial Service exams in India are conducted by each state separately. In total, 24 states in India conduct Judicial Service examinations nearly every year. Each of these states has its eligibility criteria for the judiciary exam in the form of age limit, number of attempts, and official language, and others. These are as mentioned below.
States Conducting Judicial Services Exam
States | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Arunachal Pradesh | Chhattisgarh | Himachal Pradesh | Jharkhand |
Madhya Pradesh | Mizoram | Punjab | Assam |
Goa | Haryana | Karnataka | Maharashtra |
Nagaland | Rajasthan | Bihar | Delhi |
Jammu & Kashmir | Kerala | Manipur | Odisha |
Sikkim | Uttrakhand | Uttar Pradesh | West Bengal |
Judicial Exam Eligibility
The All India Judicial Service exam eligibility criteria are different for lower judiciary and higher judiciary services.
Lower Judiciary Services
The Judicial Services Examination eligibility criteria is given below :
Candidates must be citizens of India
Candidate must have a degree in either 3-year LLB or 5-year LLB
He/she should be enrolled or qualified to be enrolled as an Advocate under the Advocates’ Act 1961.
Final year candidates can also give the exam and no experience is required for the exam.. The age limit is usually between 21 to 35 years. However, it varies according to the state. In some states the upper age limit is 40+ years.
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The judicial service exam eligiblity for higher judiciary is given below:
- Candidates must be law graduates.
- In addition to that, the judiciary exam eligibility for higher judiciary also requires certain minimum number of years of litigating practice, usually seven years.
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Application Process for Judicial Service Exams
The judiciary exam is conducted rather unexpectedly. So, candidates must keep track of the upcoming judiciary exam. All the states release their application forms separately.
The prelims exam for Judicial services are conducted after one month from the date of opening of the application form.
For some states, the application form of Judicial Services Examinations are released on the official website of the state High Court. For example, the High Court of Haryana notifies about the judicial service examination on its official website - highcourtchd.gov.in.
Some states release the Judical service exam application form through their respective Public Commission State website. For example, in the state of Maharashtra the application form of Judicial services examinations are released by the state Public Service Commission in its website - mpsc.gov.in.
After filling up the application form, aspirants are required to pay a prescribed fee that varies for the general and reserved categories.
Stages of Judicial Services Examination
Aspirants willing to serve as a civil judge/district magistrate/additional district magistrates need to clear three of the exams. These stages are:
Judicial Services Examination - Preliminary
The exam comprises objective type questions. It only serves the purpose of screening candidates before they appear for mains. The marks secured by a candidate in this section are not considered for the final selection.
Judicial Services Examination - Mains
At the second stage of Judicial Services Examination, the mains exams are conducted. The Judicial Services Exams for Mains are generally conducted after 20 to 40 days after the declaration of prelims results. This is the reason why the aspirants start preparing for judicial service examinations during their college days.
The Judicial Services Mains exams are subjective in nature, and mainly comprise three to four papers. The marks scored in mains are considered for the final selection.
Judicial Services Examination Interview
This is the final stage of the selection procedure. At this stage, candidates are assessed based on their general interest, intelligence, personality, etc
Aspirants after clearing all the stages and then qualifying for the merit list will be able to join the respective state’s judicial academy for a year to be trained as a Judge.
Successful candidates will be taught about the legal or judicial procedures, manners of being a judge as well as the duties and power the position carries.
After successful completion of training the candidates will be appointed as judges of lower courts or tribunals.
Syllabus for Judicial Services Examination
The syllabus for judiciary exams differs from state to state. The procedural law and substantive laws are similar for all the states, however the local language and local laws differ from state to state. The prelims syllabus for Judicial Services Examination is broadly divided into Civil law, Criminal Law and Language paper. The weightage of the language paper is around 20 per cent to 35 per cent. The mains examination consists of six to seven papers and almost 70 per cent of the questions are asked from law.
Judicial Services Examination Syllabus for Preliminary Examination
In preliminary exams the questions are covered generally from the following topics:
Constitutional law
Contract Law and Tort Law
General Knowledge and Current Affairs
IPC, CPC, CrPC, and The Indian Evidence Act
Proficiency in English Language and Aptitude
Transfer of Property law
General Knowledge that covers topics such as economy, politics, recent national and international events, culture, history, science and technology.
Additional Subjects in the Judicial Exam Syllabus
However, certain state judiciary exams cover a few additional topics in their preliminary exams as provided below:
Indian Judicial Service Examination - State Wise Subjects
States | Subjects |
|---|---|
Delhi judicial service examination | Principles Governing Arbitration Law, the Partnership Act |
Goa Judicial Service Examination | Sales of Goods Act, Land laws of Goa, The Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste (Prevention of Atrocities Act, 1989) |
Kerala Judicial Service Exam | Kerala Building (Lease and Rent Control) Act |
Madhya Pradesh Judicial Services Exam | Madhya Pradesh Accommodation Control Act, Madhya Pradesh Land Revenue Code |
Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Manipur, and Nagaland -judicial services examination | Proficiency in the official language of respective states |
Bihar Judicial Service Examination | Elementary general Science, Administrative law, Hindu and Muslim personal laws, Principles of Equity, Law of trusts, Specific Relief Act, Commercial law |
Chhattisgarh Judicial Service examination | Accommodation Control Act, Court fees act, Registration Act and Chhattisgarh Land revenue code, Limitation, and Specific relief acts |
Karnataka Judicial Service Examination | Karnataka Rent Act |
Judiciary Exam Syllabus Mains
The syllabus for each state in the mains exam differs. Below is a list of syllabi for the judicial service mains exam of different states:
Delhi Judicial Services examination syllabus
| Paper | Topics Covered |
|---|---|
Paper I | General Knowledge and Language Current affairs, Essay, Translation, and precise writing |
Paper II | Civil Law 1 - Indian Sale of Goods Act, Indian Partnership Act, Indian Contract Act, Specific Relief Act, Hindu Law, Muslim Law, Delhi Rent control Act, and Law of Torts |
Paper III | Civil Law 2 – Law of Evidence, Law of Limitation, Civil Procedure Code, and Law of Registration |
Paper IV | Criminal Law -Criminal Procedure Code, Indian Penal Code and Indian Evidence Act |
UP Judicial Services Syllabus
| Paper | Topics |
|---|---|
Paper 1 | General Knowledge |
Paper 2 | Language |
Paper 3 | Law –I (Substantive Law) - Constitutional law, Hindu law, law of trust and specific relief, Mohammedan law, the law concerning easements and torts, law of contracts, law of partnership, law relating to the principles of equity, law relating to transfer of property |
Paper 4 | Law – II (Procedure and Evidence) - Code of civil procedure, evidence of witnesses, framing of charges, practical matters, principles of pleading, conduct of cases, criminal procedure code, law of evidence, writing of judgment |
Paper 5 | Law – III (Penal, Revenue and Local Laws) Indian penal code, land reforms Act 1951, Uttar Pradesh, the Uttar Pradesh Zamindari abolition, consolidation of Holdings Act, 1953, Panchayat Raj Act, Urban Buildings (regulation of letting, rent and eviction) act, 1972, Uttar Pradesh municipalities Act, Uttar Pradesh Urban (planning and development) t 1973.A |
West Bengal Judicial Service Exam Syllabus
| Papers | Topics |
|---|---|
Compulsory Papers | English composition, essay and precise writing, Bengali /Hindi /Urdu/Nepali /Santali composition, essay & translation from English to Hindi to Bengali/Hindi/Urdu/Nepali/Santali, general knowledge and current affairs, civil procedure code, criminal procedure code and Indian penal code, Indian evidence act, law of contracts and torts, transfer of property act |
Optional Paper | Candidates shall take up any three of the following papers: Hindu law, Mohammedan law, jurisprudence and principles of legislation, Indian law relating to companies & insurance, principles of equity including the law of trusts and specific relief, partnership act, law of limitation and law of prescription, the Indian constitution & constitutional law |
Bihar Judicial Service exam syllabus
| Papers | Topics |
|---|---|
Part 1- Compulsory paper | General knowledge including current affairs elementary science, general Hindi, general English, law of evidence and procedure, Hindi and English are compulsory papers but only qualifying in nature |
Part 2 - Optional paper | Constitutional law of India and England, hindu and muslim law, transfer of property, principles of equity, law of trusts and specific relief act, law of contract and torts, commercial law |
MP Judiciary Exam Syllabus
| Papers | Topics |
|---|---|
Paper I | Civil law and procedure |
Paper-II | Criminal law and procedure |
Paper III | Writing skill, court practice, translation, and current legal knowledge |
Paper IV | Judgement writing |
Jharkhand Judiciary syllabus
| Papers | Topics |
|---|---|
Paper I | Indian penal code, code of criminal procedure code, indian evidence act, limitation act |
Paper-II | Civil procedure code, transfer of property, indian contract act, sales of goods act, arbitration and conciliation act |
Paper III | Hindu law, muslim law, rent control law, specific relief act, and jurisprudence |
Paper IV | Hindi and english |
Goa Judicial services examination syllabus
| Papers | Topics |
|---|---|
Paper I | The indian contract act, 1872, the specific relief act, 1963, the limitation act, 1963, sales of goods act, 1930, indian partnership act, 1932, the code of civil procedure code, 1908, transfer of property act, 1882, the easement act,1882, family laws in goa, land laws in Goa |
Paper-II | The code of criminal procedure code, 1973, the indian penal code, 1860 the evidence act,1872, the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes (prevention of atrocities) act, 1989, the negotiable instruments act, 1881, essay on current legal topics |
Haryana and Punjab judiciary syllabus
| Papers | Topics |
|---|---|
Paper I | Civil law I -code of civil procedure, punjab courts act, indian contract act, indian sale of goods act, indian partnership act, specific relief act |
Paper-II | Civil law II - Hindu law, muslim law and customary law, law of registration and limitation |
Paper III | Criminal law - Indian penal code, code of criminal procedure, indian evidence act |
Paper IV | English- essay, words and phrases , comprehension, corrections |
Paper V | Language- hindi in devanagari script |
Odisha judicial service exam syllabus
| Papers | Topics |
|---|---|
Paper I | General english |
Paper-II | Procedural laws - civil procedure code, criminal procedure code, indian evidence act |
Paper III | Optional papers - Law of crime and law of torts, hindu and muslim law, law of property, law of contract, jurisprudence, and constitution of India |
Karnataka judicial service exam syllabus
| Papers | Topics |
|---|---|
Paper I | : Translation Paper – Depositions, judgments, and documents |
Paper-II | Law paper I – Civil procedure code, criminal procedure code, indian evidence act, principles of pleading and Indian constitution |
Paper III | Law paper II – Framing of issues and writing judgments in civil cases |
Paper IV | Law paper III -Framing of charges and writing judgments in criminal cases |
Himachal Pradesh Judicial Service Exam Syllabus
| Paper | Topics |
|---|---|
Paper I | : Civil law I -code of civil procedure, indian stamp act, indian evidence act, himachal pradesh courts act, specific relief act |
Paper-II | Civil Law II - Indian contract act, hindu law, transfer of property act, himachal pradesh urban rent control act, indian limitation act |
Paper III | Criminal law - indian penal code, code of criminal procedure, chapter xvii of negotiable instruments act, hp excise act, wildlife protection act, Indian forest act |
Paper IV | English composition |
Paper V | Language (100 Marks) |
Rajasthan judiciary syllabus
| Papers | Topics |
|---|---|
Paper I | : Law paper I- Constitution of india, civil procedure code, contact law, tort laws, motor vehicle law, rent control law, personal laws, law of transfer of property |
Paper-II | Law paper II- criminal law, narcotic law, law relating to cybercrimes and electricity theft, law of probation, law on juvenile delinquency |
Paper III | Language paper I- Hindi essay writing and grammar |
Paper IV | Language paper II- English essay writing, translation, and grammar |
Sikkim judicial service exam syllabus
| Papers | Topics |
|---|---|
Paper I | Procedural law, local law, indian evidence act, limitation act |
Paper-II | Hindu law, contract law, sales of goods act, partnership act, specific relief act, general clauses act, transfer of property act, indian penal code, constitutional law |
Uttarakhand judicial service exam syllabus
| Papers | Topics |
|---|---|
Paper I | Substantive law |
Paper-II | Evidence and procedure |
Paper III | Revenue and criminal law |
Paper IV | The present-day- current affairs and general knowledge |
Paper V | Language |
Kerala judicial service exam syllabus
| Papers | Topics |
|---|---|
Paper I | English grammar, general essays, translation of malayalam documents and depositions to english, precise writing |
Paper-II | Indian contract act, transfer of property, limitation act, specific relief act, easements act, kerala building act, hindu succession act, indian succession act, dissolution of muslim marriage act, kerala court fees and suits valuation act, kerala stamp act, legal services authorities act, the kerala panchayat raj act, kerala municipality act, negotiable instruments act and registration act |
Paper III | Indian penal code, indian evidence act, abkari act, negotiable instruments act, the protection of women from domestic violence act, juvenile justice act, kerala police act, probation of offenders act, forest act, ndps act |
Paper IV | Code of civil procedure, civil rules of practice, kerala civil courts act code of criminal procedure, criminal rules of practice, framing of charges and issues, judgment writing |
Other states judicial exam syllabus
| State | Syllabus |
|---|---|
Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram, Maharashtra, and Jammu & Kashmir Judicial service exam syllabus | Paper I : Essay, precise writing, grammar Paper-II: Objective test, aptitude test Paper III : Transfer of property, civil procedure code, indian contract act, constitution of india Paper IV: Indian penal code, crpc, law of torts, indian evidence act |
Chhattisgarh judicial service exam syllabus | Framing of issues and writing of judgement in civil cases , framing of charges and writing of judgement in criminal cases , translation: english to hindi , hindi to english |
Restrictions for Candidates in Judicial Service Examination
Law graduates can fill the application form individually for each state they want to appear. There are no such restrictions in terms of how many states the candidate wants to appear in. However, there are some restrictions in the judicial service examination that the candidates should be aware of:
- Restriction of age: In some states the upper age limit to fill the application forms are 32 whereas in some it can be 48 years. So candidates should carefully consider the age restriction before filling the application form.
- Restriction in the number of attempts: In some states the number of attempts are 6 whereas in some it is 4. So candidates should carefully assess the number of attempts before appearing for the examination.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: Is judiciary exam conducted every year?
A:
Yes. However, the exams are often conducted in an irregular and unpredictable manner which makes any plans for preparation for the exam rather difficult.
Q: What happens after clearing judiciary exam
A:
Once candidates clear the three stages of the judiciary exam, they can be appointed as judges in the lower courts and become part of state judiciary.
Q: Which state judiciary exam is easy
A:
Syllabus of almost all state judiciary exams are similar in terms of content. A candidate's prior comfort with laws and legal concepts will make the exam easy for them. The difficulty will also depend on the number of seats on offer versus the competition level.
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