Judicial Service Exams 2024: State-wise exam pattern, Syllabus, Eligibility Criteria, Prelims, Mains
Embarking on the journey of Judicial Services Exams requires dedication, thorough preparation, and a passion for the legal system.Read further to understand key aspects of Judicial Services Exams, state-wise judicial services exams syllabus, preparation strategies, and other important updates.
Judicial Services Exams 2024: Indian Judicial Services Exams are a critical gateway for individuals aspiring to pursue a career in the legal field and contribute to the justice system of the country. Indian Judicial Services Exams are conducted by various state public service commissions, and aim to select candidates for the prestigious position of civil judges or judicial magistrates.
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Examining candidates who have graduated from law school is the Indian Judicial Service Examination, also known as the Provincial Civil Service Judicial Examination (PCS-J). To sit for the Judicial Services Examination, law graduates are not required to take the All India Bar Examination. Law graduates can become additional district magistrates, district court judges, or district magistrates in India by passing this civil judge exam. This article delves into the key aspects of Judicial Services Exams, shedding light on the examination pattern, preparation strategies, and the significance of these exams in shaping the future of the legal fraternity.
List of states conducting Judicial Service Examination
In India, state-level Judicial Service examinations are administered in a state-specific manner. In all, 24 states in India have Judicial Service exams almost annually. These are listed in the section below.
States conducting Judicial Service Examination |
|
---|---|
Arunachal Pradesh |
Chhattisgarh |
Himachal Pradesh |
Jharkhand |
Madhya Pradesh |
Mizoram |
Punjab |
Assam |
Goa |
Haryana |
Karnataka |
Maharashtra |
Odisha |
Sikkim |
Uttarakhand |
Uttar Pradesh |
Delhi |
Jammu & Kashmir |
Kerala |
Manipur |
West Bengal |
Bihar |
Nagaland |
Rajasthan |
Note: Each of these states has its requirements for qualifying for the Judicial Exam, including age restrictions, the maximum number of attempts, the official language, and more.
Judicial Services Exam 2024: Eligibility
The qualifications for the All India Judicial Service exam vary depending on whether one is applying for lower or higher court jobs.
Lower Judiciary Services
The following are the qualifying requirements for the Judicial Services Examination:
- Applicants must be Indian citizens.
- The candidate must hold a degree in either three or five years of law school.
- Under the Advocates' Act of 1961, he or she must be enrolled or eligible to be enrolled as an advocate.
- Candidates in their final year may also take the exam, and it does not require any prior experience. Typically, the age range is from 21 to 35. But it differs depending on the state. The upper age limit is 40 years or older in many states.
Higher Judiciary Services
Candidates need to have graduated from law school. Furthermore, to be eligible for higher judiciary, one must pass the judicial exam and have a minimum of seven years of litigating experience.
How to Apply for Judicial Service Examinations 2024?
The judiciary exam can be conducted anytime in a year. Thus, candidates need to stay informed about the 2024 judiciary exam. Each state releases its application forms separately. As per the past years’ trend, prelims exams for Judicial services are conducted one month from the application form's opening date. The Judicial Services Examination application form is made available in certain states via the state High Court's official website. For instance, the High Court of Haryana posts announcements on the judicial service examination on highcourtchd.gov.in, its official website.
On the other hand, some states distribute their application forms via their own Public Commission website. For instance, the state Public Service Commission in Maharashtra releases the application form for the Judicial Services Examinations on its website, mpsc.gov.in. After completing the application form, candidates must pay the application fee—which differs for the general and reserved categories.
Judicial Services Exam 2024: Selection Process
Candidates who want to work as district magistrates, civil judges, or additional district magistrates must pass three phases of the Judicial Services Exam. These phases consist of:
Judicial Services Examination 2024: Preliminary
There are objective-style questions asked in the Preliminary Exam. Its sole function is to vetting candidates before their main appearance. A candidate's scores in this section are not taken into account when making the final decision.
Judicial Services Examination 2024: Mains
The main exams are given at the second stage of the Judicial Services Examination. The Judicial Services Main Exams are typically held 20 to 40 days following the release of the preliminary results. For this reason, during their college years, candidates begin preparing for the judicial service examinations.
The Judicial Services Mains exams typically consist of three or four papers and are subjective. When making the final choice, the main scores are taken into account.
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Interview for the Judicial Services Examination
The selection process ends with this step. Candidates are evaluated at this point according to their general interests, IQ, personality, etc.
- After passing all the requirements and making the merit list, candidates can enroll in the state-specific judicial academy to begin their one-year judicial training programme
- The duties and authority of the office, as well as legal and judicial procedures and courtroom etiquette, will be imparted to the chosen candidates
- Following a successful training programme, the candidates will be appointed to subordinate court or tribunal judgeships
Judicial Services Examination 2024: Syllabus
Each state has a different syllabus for its legal exams. State-by-state variations exist in local laws and terminology, although procedural and substantive laws are uniform across all states. The Judicial Services Examination preliminary syllabus comprises three main sections: Civil law, Criminal law, and Language paper. The language paper has a weighting of between twenty and thirty-five percent. There are six or seven papers in the mains exam, and over seventy percent of the questions are legal in nature.
Judicial Services Examination 2024 Syllabus: Preliminary Exam
In the Judicial Services Examination Syllabus for Preliminary Examination the questions are generally asked 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
In the prelims exam, the questions are also asked from the general knowledge section. The important topics to be studied under general knowledge includes the following:
- Communications and Space
- Current National Issues & topics of Social relevance
- Geography of India
- History of India
- India and the World
- Indian Culture
- Indian Economy
- Indian Polity
- International Affairs and Institutions
- Science and Technology etc
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Judicial Service Examination 2024 - State Wise Subjects
Apart from the subjects mentioned above, a few more are included in the preliminary examinations of some state judiciary exams. Candidates can check the State-wise subjects for the Indian Judicial Service Examination below:
States |
Subjects |
---|---|
Delhi Judicial Service examination |
Partnership Act, Principles Governing Arbitration Law |
Kerala Judicial Service Exam |
Kerala Building (Lease and Rent Control) Act |
Goa Judicial Service Examination |
The Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste (Prevention of Atrocities Act, 1989) Sales of Goods Act, Land laws of Goa |
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 |
Indian Judicial Service Examination 2024: Mains Syllabus
For the mains exam, the syllabus for every state is different. Candidates can check state-wise list of syllabi for the judicial service mains exam below:
Delhi Judicial Services examination syllabus 2024
Subject |
Topics |
---|---|
Paper 1: General Legal Knowledge & Language |
This paper shall comprise of two Sections:- Section I : General Legal Knowledge:- This is to test the candidate’s knowledge of current legal affairs etc. (100 Marks). Section II: Language (Essay, Translation and Precis Writing):- This is to test the candidate’s knowledge and power of expression in English. Credit will be given both for substance and expression. Conversely deduction will be made for bad expression, faults of grammar and misuse of words etc. There will be two passages for translations one in English which will be required to be translated into Hindi (in Devnagri Script) and the second passage in Hindi (in Devnagri Script) shall be required to be translated into English |
Paper 2: Civil Law I |
The Indian Contract Act, 1872; The Sale of Goods Act, 1930; The Transfer of Property Act, 1882; The Specific Relief Act, 1963; Hindu Law; Mohammaden Law; The Delhi Rent Control Act, 1958; Law of Torts; The New Delhi Municipal Council Act, 1994; The Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957 and The Commercial Courts Act, 2015. |
Paper 3: Civil Law-II |
The Code of Civil Procedure, 1908; The Indian Evidence Act, 1872; The Limitation Act, 1963; The Registration Act, 1908; The Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996; The Trade Marks Act, 1999 and The Copyright Act, 1957 |
Paper 4: Criminal Law The Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 |
The Indian Penal Code; The Indian Evidence Act, 1872; The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005; The Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881; The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 and The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. |
Uttar Pradesh Judicial Services examination syllabus 2024
Subjects |
Topics |
---|---|
General Knowledge |
· History of India and Indian Culture · Geography of India · Indian Polity · Current National Issues · Topics of Social Relevance · India and the world · Indian Economy · International Affairs and Institutions and developments in the field of Science and Technology Communications and Space |
English |
· Essay to be written in English · English Précis writing · Translation of passage from Hindi to English · Translation of passage from English to Hindi |
Hindi |
· Essay to be written in Hindi · Hindi Précis writing · Translation of passage from English to Hindi |
Law-1 (Substantive Law) |
· law of contracts · law of Partnership · law concerning easements and torts · Law relating to transfer of property including the principles of equity, specifically applicable there to · principal of Equity with special reference to the Law of trust and specific relief · Hindu Law and Mohammedan Law · Constitutional Law |
Law-II(Procedure and Evidence) |
· Code of Civil Procedure · Evidence of witnesses · Framing of charges · Practical matters · Principles of pleading · The conduct of cases · The Criminal Procedure Code · The Law of Evidence · Writing of judgment |
Law III (Penal, Revenue, and Local Laws) |
· Indian Penal Code · Uttar Pradesh Revenue Code, 2006 · Uttar Pradesh Urban Building (Regulation of Letting, Rent and Eviction) Act, 1972 · The Uttar Pradesh Regulation of Urban Premises Tenancy Act, 2021 · Uttar Pradesh Municipalities Act · U.P. Panchayat Raj Act · U.P. Consolidation of Holdings Act · Uttar Pradesh Urban (Planning and Development) Act 1973, together with rules framed under the aforesaid Acts |
West Bengal Judicial Service Exam Syllabus 2024
The WBPSC Civil Judge Mains Syllabus is divided into two sections: compulsory and elective. The lists of the two papers are provided below.
Compulsory Subjects |
---|
English Composition, Essay, Précis writing |
Bengali /Hindi/Urdu/Nepali/Santali composition, essay and translation from English into |
Bengali/Hindi/Urdu/Nepali/Santali |
General Knowledge and Current Affair |
Civil procedure Code |
Criminal Procedure Code and Indian Penal Code |
Indian Evidence Act |
Law of Contracts and Torts |
Transfer of Property Act. |
Given below is the list of optional papers (any 3 papers to be chosen by the candidate):
Hindu Law |
Muhammad an Law |
Partnership Act |
Jurisprudence and Principles of Legislation |
Indian law relating to Companies and Insurance |
Principles of equity including the Law of Trusts and specific relief |
Law of limitation and Law of Prescription |
The Indian Constitution and Constitutional Law |
Bihar Judicial Service exam syllabus 2024
In the Bihar Judicial Service Mains Exam, there are five compulsory papers. Candidates will also be given a choice of five optional papers in Bihar Judiciary Syllabus 2024, from which, candidates have to select three. Check the five compulsory papers syllabus below:
Subject |
Syllabus |
---|---|
General Knowledge / General Studies |
· Current events of national and international importance · History of India and the Indian National Movement · Indian and World Geography · Indian Polity and Economy |
General Hindi |
This paper will be of the same difficulty as the Hindi portion of the secondary test that the Bihar School Examination Committee will be administering. Students who have been studying Hindi consistently since the fourth grade are intended for this section. |
General English |
· Spotting Errors in sentences and phrases · Antonyms and Synonyms · Fill in the blanks with missing words · Usage of prepositions, idioms, and phrases · Word analogies · Test of spellings · Re-arranging sentences · Questions to test comprehension – with a passage to be read and questions based on the same. · Questions will be set to test the understanding of and the power to write English. A passage or passages will usually be set for summary or precis. Questions will include letter writing on a given subject |
Constitutional Law and Administrative Law |
Constitution of India – Article 1 to 395 and Schedules Administrative Law: · Delegated Legislation · Control of Delegated Legislation – Judicial & Legislative Fair Hearing; Rules of Natural Justice; Rules Against Bias; Audi Alteram Partem · Tribunals and Quasi-Judicial Authorities; Judicial Control over them · Regulatory- Authorities · Judicial Review of Administrative Action · Writ Jurisdiction and Statutory Judicial Remedies, Scope, Extent & Distinction · Public Interest Litigation · Tortious Liability of State and Compensation · Promissory Estoppel, Legitimate Expectation & Doctrine of Proportionality · Government Contracts · Ombudsman |
Law of Evidence & Procedure |
· Indian Evidence Act (1 of 1872) · Civil Procedure Code (5 of 1908) · Arbitration and Conciliation Act 1996 · Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974) · Provincial Small Cause Courts Act, 1887 |
Hindu Law and Mohammedan Law |
· Hindu Law including Schools, Marriage, Adoption, Impartible Estate, Endowment · Muhammadan Law including Marriage Law, Adoption, Wills, Legitimacy, Acknowledgement, Guardianship |
Commercial Law |
The main principles of law relating to · Sale of Goods · Negotiable Instruments · Company Law · Partnership |
Madhya Pradesh Judiciary Exam Syllabus 2024
Subject/Papers | Syllabus |
---|---|
Civil law and procedure |
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Criminal law and procedure |
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Writing skill, court practice, translation, and current legal knowledge |
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Judgment writing |
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Odisha Judicial Service Exam Syllabus 2024
Subject/Papers | Syllabus |
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Civil law and procedure |
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Criminal law and procedure |
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General English |
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Kerala Judiciary Syllabus
Subject/Papers | Syllabus |
---|---|
Paper – I |
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Paper – II |
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Paper – III |
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Paper IV | Part A:
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Paper V |
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Jharkhand Judiciary Syllabus
Subject/Papers | Syllabus |
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Paper – I |
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Paper – II |
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Paper – III |
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Paper IV (Language) |
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Goa Judicial Services Exam 2024
Subject/Papers | Syllabus |
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Paper – I |
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Paper – II |
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Haryana and Punjab Judicial Services Exam Syllabus 2024
Subject/Papers | Syllabus |
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Paper – I |
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Paper – II |
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Paper-III |
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Paper IV |
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Paper V |
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Karnataka Judiciary Exam Syllabus 2024
Subject/Papers | Syllabus |
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Paper – I |
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Paper – II |
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Paper-III |
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Paper IV |
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Himachal Pradesh Judiciary Exam Syllabus 2024
Subjects/Papers |
Topics |
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Paper I |
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Paper II |
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Paper III |
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Paper IV |
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Paper V |
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Rajasthan Judiciary Syllabus 2024
Subjects/Papers |
Topics |
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Paper I |
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Paper II |
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Paper III | The Paper III comprises of Language Paper 1 and Langugae Paper 2. Check details below: Paper 1- English Syllabus
Paper 2- Hindi Syllabus • शब्द रचनाः संधि एवं संधि विच्छेद, समास, उपसर्ग, प्रत्यय – शब्द प्रकारः (क) तत्सम, अर्द्धतत्सम, तत्भव, देशज, विदेशी (ख) संज्ञा, सर्वनाम, विशेषण, क्रिया, अव्यय (क्रिया विशेषण, संबंध सूचक, विस्मयबोधक निपात) • व्यऎकणिक कोटियाँ: परसर्ग, लिंग, वचन, पुरुष, काल, वुल, वृत्ति (mood), पक्ष (aspect), वाच्य (voice) • वचनाय वाक्य शुद्धि |
Sikkim Judicial Service Examination Syllabus 2024
Subjects/Papers |
Topics |
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Paper I | Procedural Law & Local Laws Group A:
Group B:
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Paper II | Substantive Laws
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Uttarakhand Judiciary Syllabus 2024
Subjects/Papers |
Topics |
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Paper-I | Current Affairs |
Paper-II | Language
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Paper-III | Substantive Law
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Paper-IV | Law of Evidence & Procedure
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Paper – V | Land Revenue and Criminal Law
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Paper – VI | Basic Knowledge of Computer Operation
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