SC Cuts Mandatory Legal Practice for Entry-Level Judicial Exams From 3 Years to 1

NEW DELHI, Aug 21: The Supreme Court on Friday reduced the mandatory legal practice requirement for law graduates seeking to appear in entry-level judicial service examinations from three years to one year, modifying its May 2025 verdict.

A Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices A.G. Masih and K. Vinod Chandran took the decision in a 2:1 split verdict while dismissing a review petition.

The court clarified that candidates appearing for judicial service examinations notified between May 25, 2025 and March 31, 2027 would remain eligible irrespective of their prior legal practice experience.

However, candidates selected through these examinations will initially be appointed as trainee judicial officers. They will be required to undergo one year of training at a judicial academy, followed by another year of structured clerkship, according to the court’s directions.

The ruling modifies the Supreme Court’s decision of May 20, 2025, under which fresh law graduates were barred from appearing in entry-level judicial service examinations unless they had completed at least three years of legal practice.

The earlier decision had sought to ensure that candidates entering the lower judiciary possessed practical exposure to court proceedings and the legal profession.

The latest ruling provides relief to law graduates seeking entry into judicial services while retaining a structured training and clerkship requirement for those selected.

The directions will apply to examinations notified during the specified transition period, while the revised one-year practice requirement will govern eligibility for entry-level judicial recruitment. (Agencies)