NEW DELHI, Aug. 21: The Supreme Court on Friday reduced the mandatory legal practice requirement for law graduates seeking to appear for entry level judicial service examinations from three years to one year, modifying its earlier May 2025 ruling.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices A G Masih and K Vinod Chandran delivered the verdict by a 2:1 majority while dismissing review petitions challenging the earlier judgment.
Under the revised arrangement, candidates appearing for judicial service examinations notified between May 25, 2025, and March 31, 2027, will be eligible irrespective of their previous legal experience. However, candidates selected through these examinations will initially be appointed as trainee judicial officers.
The selected candidates will be required to undergo training at a judicial academy for one year, followed by another year of structured clerkship, the bench said.
The court clarified that the transitional arrangement will apply to examinations notified up to March 31, 2027. For examinations notified on or after April 1, 2027, the revised framework will be applicable.
The Supreme Court had in May 2025 ruled that fresh law graduates could not directly appear for entry-level judicial service examinations and would have to complete at least three years of legal practice before becoming eligible.
While modifying that requirement, the majority maintained that exposure to the legal profession remains important for those entering the judiciary. Chief Justice Surya Kant said there was no reason to reconsider the basic reasoning behind the earlier judgment that judicial candidates should have practical experience in the legal field.
At the same time, the court observed that the experience requirement must have a reasonable connection with the objective being pursued and should not create undue hardship for young lawyers and law graduates.
The court noted that restoring the three-year practice requirement without a transitional mechanism had caused difficulties for candidates who had begun preparing for judicial examinations under the previous eligibility framework. It said limited intervention was therefore necessary.
The judgment came after the Supreme Court reserved its decision on July 28 on a batch of review and writ petitions concerning the eligibility requirement.
Earlier, on March 13, the court had directed all high courts to extend the deadline for applications for Civil Judge (Junior Division) vacancies until April 30. It had also sought views from high courts, National Law Universities and other law institutions on the three-year practice requirement.
The latest ruling seeks to balance the need for practical legal exposure among future judicial officers with concerns over the impact of the earlier eligibility rule on young law graduates.