The judicial services examinations are the entry-level examinations in India conducted by the state judicial departments to recruit suitable candidates for subordinate judicial services. Also commonly known as the Provincial Civil Service - Judicial Examination, it is mainly held for recent law graduates.
The Indian judicial services examination is conducted in three phases - a preliminary examination consisting of objective type questions, the main examination consisting of subjective type questions. The marks secured in this phase are considered for the final selection followed by a personal interview.
Indian Judicial Services Examination - Eligibility Conditions
The Indian judicial services examination has two entry levels i.e. Lower Judiciary Services and Higher Judiciary Services and the eligibility criteria fort the same are as follows:
Nationality
Age
Educational Qualification
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Lower Judicial Services: The candidate must hold an LL.B degree from a recognised law school or law college in India and must have registered as an Advocate under the Advocates Act 1961.
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Higher Judicial Services: The candidate must possess a graduation degree in law.
Work Experience
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Lower Judicial Services: Final year students can also appear in the Indian judicial services examination. Aspirants with no work experience can also apply for this judiciary examination.
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Higher Judicial Services: Aspiring candidates appearing for this must have a minimum of seven years of litigating practice.
List of States Conducting the Indian Judicial Services Exam
At present, there are 24 states in India which conduct and regulate Indian judicial service examinations. Each state has its own set of eligibility criteria, exam pattern, syllabus, salary range, cut-off, ranks, scores, number of vacancies and examination process.
The names of 24 states conducting the Indian judiciary examination are listed below:
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Arunachal Pradesh
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Assam
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Bihar
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Chhattisgarh
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Goa
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Delhi
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Himachal Pradesh
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Haryana
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Jammu and Kashmir
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Jharkhand
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Karnataka
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Kerala
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Madhya Pradesh
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Maharashtra
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Manipur
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Mizoram
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Nagaland
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Odisha
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Punjab
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Rajasthan
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Sikkim
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Uttarakhand
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Uttar Pradesh
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West Bengal
Indian Judicial Services Examination - Structure & Selection Process
The judicial services examination in India is divided into three stages. They are:
Preliminary Examination: This is the first stage in the judicial services examination which is mainly conducted with the view of screening candidates for the main examination. It consists of objective type questions and the marks scored by the candidates are not considered for the final selection.
The minimum qualifying marks in this examination is 60 per cent for the General Category and 55 percentage for the Reserved Category i.e. Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes.
Main Examination: This is the second stage in the Indian judiciary examination which consists of subjective type questions and it comprises three to four questions paper. The marks secured by the applicants in this examination are counted for the final selection.
Viva-Voce (Personal Interview): This is the last and the final stage in the Indian judicial service examination where the candidates are evaluated based on the candidate’s general knowledge, personality, attitude, behaviour, aptitude, etc.
How is life after cracking the Judicial Services Examination?
Indian Judicial Services or Indian Judiciary is considered as one of the prestigious sectors to work for. All the fresh law graduates in India dream of getting a job in this sector. A person in this sector gets great job security, social prestige, lucrative salary and other benefits. This makes it a very sought-after career option.
Some of the allowances and the benefits that an individual gets are:
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Basic Pay Scale
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House Rent Allowance
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Travel Allowance
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Electricity Bill
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Phone Bill
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Vehicle Maintenance
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Pension
Indian Judicial Services Examination - Syllabus
Preliminary Judicial Services Examination:
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It is broadly divided into General Knowledge, English Language, Aptitude, Constitutional law, Contract Law, Tort Law, Transfer of Property law, Indian Evidence Act, Law of Torts.
Main Judicial Services Examination:
The syllabus for the main examination differs depending on the various states in India. Below given is the list of subjects included in the main syllabus:
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Paper I: Essay Writing, Grammar, Translation
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Paper-II: Aptitude Test, General Knowledge, Current Affair
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Paper III: Transfer of Property, Civil Procedure Code, Indian Contract Act, Indian Constitution
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Paper IV: Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure, Law of Torts, Indian Evidence Act
Job profiles under the Indian Judicial Services Examination
There are many job profiles that come under the judicial services in India. Some of them are listed below:
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District Judge
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Session Judge
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Magistrate
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Sub-Magistrate
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Advocate General
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Attorney General
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Solicitors
