Advocates can now apply for judge posts after 1-year practice

Times of India Published Aug 21, 2026 Reviewed Aug 22, 2026 ✓ Reviewed by citations.press editors

The Supreme Court relaxed the mandatory three-year practice eligibility norm for advocates to apply for judicial officer posts to one-year practice.

1 year · practice Supreme Court, Supreme Court

The Supreme Court said advocates can preside over courts and decide cases only after a two-year on-job training.

2 year · training Supreme Court, Supreme Court

In 1993, the Supreme Court ordered that advocates with three-year practice alone would be eligible to take the tests for posts of civil judges and magistrates.

3 year · practice Supreme Court, Supreme Court

The bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justices A G Masih and Vinod Chandran by two to one majority, Justice Chandran dissenting, said lawyers with one year practice would be eligible to appear in the three-layered examination for judicial officer selection.

1 year · practice Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justices A G Masih, Vinod Chandran, Supreme Court bench

On getting selected, advocates will be designated as 'Trainee Judicial Officers' and shall undergo a compulsory period of one year of intensive training at the State Judicial Academy and will be paid a fixed emolument equivalent to half the salary of magistrates.

1 year · training0.5 salary · emolument Supreme Court, Supreme Court

After one year of training, trainee judicial officers will undergo a one-year structured law clerkship, spending six months with the principal district judge and six months with a sitting High Court judge who will evaluate their performance.

1 year · clerkship6 month · time with principal district judge6 month · time with HC judge Supreme Court, Supreme Court

In 2002, the Supreme Court reversed its decision allowing fresh law graduates to become entry level judicial officers.

2002 year · decision Supreme Court, Supreme Court

The Law Commission in 1986 said fresh law graduates may take the test for judicial officers, but on being successful should take two years intensive on-job training.

2 year · training Law Commission, Law Commission

NEW DELHI: The 20-year-old method for recruiting entry-level trial court judges underwent changes twice in one year as the Supreme Court on Friday relaxed mandatory three-year practice eligibility norm for advocates to apply for judicial officer posts to one-year practice but said they can preside over courts and decide cases only after a two year on-job training.The SC in 1993 had ordered that advocates with three-year practice alone would be eligible to take the tests for posts of civil judges and magistrates.

But in 2002, the SC had reversed its decision allowing fresh law graduates to become entry level judicial officers. Significantly, the law commission in 1986 had said fresh law graduates may take the test for judicial officers, but on being successful should take two years intensive on-job training.Making a mixture out of the three-decade spanning endeavour to make judicial officers competent and capable to decide cases, a bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices A G Masih and Vinod Chandran by two to one majority, Justice Chandran dissenting, said lawyers with one year practice would be eligible to appear in the three-layered examination for judicial officer selection.As most HCs favoured retaining the three-year practice eligibility criteria on the ground that fresh law graduates with no exposure to judicial proceedings were found wanting in their behaviour in courtroom and handling of sensitive cases, SC provided a new eligibility criteria with mandatory two-year training period for every advocate who clears the recruitment process.CJI Kant and Justice Masih in the majority judgement said law graduates with one year practice can apply for the posts of judicial officers.

On getting selected, they will be designated as 'Trainee Judicial Officers" and "shall undergo a compulsory period of one year of intensive training at the State Judicial Academy concerned" and will be paid a fixed emolument equivalent to half the salary of magistrates. After one year training, the trainee judicial officers would undergo one year structured law clerkship - six months with the principal district judge and the next six months will be with a sitting HC judge, who will give a report evaluating the performance and suitability of the trainee.Get the latest India News and Live updates.

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