Civil Judge Selection Process In India

Reader’s Digest: Becoming a Civil Judge is a hectic process because it includes layers of procedures you must follow before you finally get to your destination of acquiring a role of a Civil Judge. However, if you are well aware of the process, then cracking the exam becomes far easier than expected. 

When you embark on the journey of becoming a Civil Judge, there are certain prerequisites you need to fulfil for the upcoming judiciary exams. Civil Judge is a prestigious position, but it is also challenging.  

The selected individuals must be the ones who can serve the public interest most suitably. They must have adequate experience understanding and handling the courtroom environment in sensitive situations while passing judgment on certain cases.  

At times it happens that right candidates like you miss the chance of participating in the Civil Judge examination because of their scarce knowledge about certain aspects of this exam. Let’s understand the qualification requirements, examination pattern, and other important aspects of this examination.  

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Qualifications for Becoming a Civil Judge

 There are some qualification requirements you need to fulfil. The primary requirements are age, nationality, qualification, and experience. Alongside that, you also have to fulfil some additional requirements. But what are they?

Let’s find the Judiciary eligibility criteria in the below-mentioned points.   

Age:

Attorneys must be continually practising and under age 35 at the time of recruitment (General), while aspirants of SC/ST should be below 40. The minimum and maximum age for a fresh law professional in each category is 22 years.  

Qualification:

You must have an undergraduate law degree from a university recognized through the UGC and BCI. You must have received it three years before the deadline. Likewise, your point total may increase by a maximum of 50% but not by more than 45% (owing to the final constraint). 

Nationality:

You must be of Indian ethnicity and have at least one government certificate proving it. Domicile candidates are given an advantage over candidates from other states; therefore, bring your residency certificate.  

Experience:

If you are applying for the Senior Judge position, you need 7 years of Experience. However, if you are applying for a Junior  Judge position, you need no experience. All you have to do is register yourself under the Bar Council as a practising Lawyer.  

Some Additional Requirements: 

• You are supposed to have a single companion at any given moment. It implies that if you weren't divorced from your first partner by the moment you married your second spouse, your candidature would be rejected. 
• If you worked for the government and were barred from taking government exams or jobs. 
• You won't be qualified for the job of District Judge if you are barred from the list by any bar or council. 
• Your nomination will be cancelled if your documents are determined to be fraudulent or obtained unlawfully. 

Steps Involved in the Civil Judge Selection Process 

The Civil Judge recruitment process begins with the notification of vacancies. It means that the respective State announces the number of vacancies through its Public Service Commission website, which you must track down to apply.  

Then you have to move to the stage of dropping your application for the opening positions. But before you apply, you must register on the website using your contact details and email id.  

Once you generate login credentials after registration, you can begin the application process. It includes providing your full details and attaching your documents to it. When you finish these things, you can complete your submission after paying the fees.  

Once your application gets verified, you become eligible for the Preliminary examination. This is the first stage of the screening process, and the one who clears this stage can move to the next stage.  

All candidates like you who qualify for the Prelims become eligible for the Main Examination. This round has subjective questions and focuses on analyzing the in-depth understanding of candidates regarding law and legislation.  

The Interview round is designed to evaluate the candidates' personalities who have cleared the Mains; the score of Mains and the interview will be considered the benchmark cut-off for recruitment.  

The final selection is made by adding the weightage of Mains and Interview. The Merit list doesn’t include the Prelims score.  

Notes: The required documents include your Academic Certificates (10th, 12th, LLB/LLM), Caste Certificate, Residential/Domicile, and Bar Council registration certificate. 

Read Here - How to Prepare for Judiciary Exam

Preliminary Examination of Civil Judge Selection Process

This is the initial step you will encounter. The initial screening test is regarded as an examination of eligibility.

This exam's questions have a weightage of 1 mark and a deduction of 0.25 marks for each wrong answer. It covers reasoning, current affairs, GK, language, and comprehension. 

Learn Here - How to Prepare GK for Judiciary Exam? 

Main Examination of Civil Judge Selection Process

The Mains are considered one of the core selection examinations as it holds weightage in the final round.

The core idea of Main’s examination is to understand the idea and understanding you have as a lawyer about different laws and their implementation process. It also has 15 MCQs from current affairs and other general legal topics.  

Some of the common topics covered in the Mains Answer Writing for Judiciary Examination are:  

• GK
• Aptitude and English
• Language Proficiency
• The Rule of Law
• Tort Law and Contract Law
• Law of Property Transfer
• Act Concerning Indian Evidence
• Tort Statute

The examination structure of all the states is somewhat the same and follows the structure given below in the table. 

Interview Round of Civil Judge Selection Process

The interview round is the final stage of putting the candidate's intelligence, understanding, and cohesive quality in check. The interviewers focus on selecting an aspirant with both intellectual and social understanding. The questions will be asked from a personal and professional domain.

For example:  

1. Tell us about your educational qualifications and what your plans are regarding the same 
2. What should be the parameters of passing a judgment in a land dispute case? 

These are some of the questions you might encounter in the interview round. To prepare like a pro, you must know Personal Interview Preparation Tips for Judiciary Exams. 

The score of this section ranges from 50 to 100. Also, you need to score more than 45% in this round to reach the final merit list.  

Note: The score of the interview round is subject to change based on the state responsible for conducting the examination.  

Final Civil Judge Selection Process 

The final round includes the preparation of the Merit list. This list carries the same of the aspirants who have gained enough scores to surpass the cut-off for the Civil Judge recruitment.

In this stage, the merit list is prepared by conjoining the score of Mains and interview rounds and the final call letter is sent to the selected individuals. You can also find your name amongst the candidates if you score an aggregate of more than 50% after the score of Mains and Interview is compiled.  

Conclusion 

We are here to answer your question about why the Civil Judge recruitment process is so lengthy.  

The process is designed to ensure the selection of the most experienced, socially cohesive, and one with adequate knowledge of implementing the legal process and handling cases professionally.  

Hence, we believe you can also achieve your dream of becoming a Civil Judge if you follow the above information closely. We wish you luck and look forward to your successful legal career as a Civil Judge!