Haryana Judiciary Syllabus 2026 [Prelims & Mains] Subject-wise List

The Haryana Judiciary Syllabus 2026 covers three stages of the HCS (Judicial Branch) exam: a 125-question objective Prelims, five descriptive Mains papers worth 900 marks, and a 200-mark Interview (Viva-Voce). 

• The law portion is built around Civil Law I, Civil Law II and Criminal Law.
• The non-law portion tests current events, Indian legal and constitutional history, governance, reasoning, English and Hindi. 
• Prelims is about accuracy under negative marking, where one wrong answer costs 0.8 marks. 
• Mains is about legal reasoning, structured answers written with a bare act in hand, and language papers that many law graduates underestimate.

Haryana Judiciary Syllabus 2026 Highlights

HPSC has not released the  HCS (Judicial Branch) notification, so the 2024 exam is the base syllabus to prepare for the candidates. The exam is conducted under the Punjab Civil Services (Judicial Branch) Rules, 1951, as applicable to Haryana and amended on 7 November 2023.

Particular	Details
Exam Conducting Body	Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC), Panchkula
Exam Name	HCS (Judicial Branch) Examination, for Civil Judge (Junior Division)
Application Mode	Online, at hpsc.gov.in
Vacancies	2026 cycle: not yet notified. Last cycle (Advt. 01/2024): 174 posts
Eligibility	Bachelor of Laws from a BCI-recognised university that entitles enrolment as an advocate; age 21 to 42 years (cut-off date is fixed in each notification). Practice rule: see note below.
Selection Process	Prelims (screening) → Mains (5 written papers) → Interview (Viva-Voce)
Prelims Syllabus	Acts in the Mains syllabus at a basic level, plus current events, Indian legal and constitutional history, governance, analytical skills, reasoning and aptitude
Mains Syllabus	Civil Law I: Code of Civil Procedure (also touching the Limitation Act), Punjab Courts Act, Indian Contract Act, Indian Partnership Act, Sale of Goods Act, Specific Relief Act, Indian Evidence Act / BSA, 2023, Haryana Urban (Control of Rent and Eviction) Act, 1973 Civil Law II: Hindu Law (marriage, adoption, inheritance, other personal and family laws), Mohammedan Law, Customary Law, Law of Registration, Law of Limitation Criminal Law: Indian Penal Code / BNS, 2023, Code of Criminal Procedure / BNSS, 2023, Indian Evidence Act / BSA, 2023 English and Hindi (Devanagari)
Job Location	Haryana
Official Website	hpsc.gov.in

Check the full Haryana Judiciary eligibility criteria once HPSC publishes the next advertisement. 

Haryana Judiciary Syllabus 2026 PDF Download Link

HPSC does not publish a separate syllabus PDF. Candidates can download the syllabus from the below link. 

Haryana Judiciary Syllabus PDF Download Link

Haryana Judiciary Syllabus 2026 for Prelims

The Haryana Judiciary Prelims is a single objective paper of 125 questions carrying 500 marks, with no Paper I and Paper II split.

• The Prelims is a single objective paper of 125 multiple-choice questions for 500 marks, to be completed in 2 hours.
• Each correct answer carries 4 marks, and 0.8 marks are deducted for every wrong answer.
• Each question has five options (A to E), and option E must be darkened if a question is not attempted.
• Leaving all five circles blank costs 0.8 marks, and leaving more than 13 questions (10%) fully blank leads to disqualification.
• Questions come from the acts in the Mains syllabus, along with current events, Indian legal and constitutional history, governance, and analytical skills, reasoning and aptitude.
• The standard of questions is Law Graduate level.
• Candidates need at least 150 marks (100 for reserved categories excluding EWS) to qualify for Mains.
• Prelims is a screening test only, and its marks are not counted in the final merit list.

Paper	Subject
Single paper (General Studies)	Current events of national and international importance; Indian legal and constitutional history; governance; analytical skills, reasoning and aptitude
Single paper (Law)	All acts listed in the Mains syllabus (Civil Law I, Civil Law II, Criminal Law), at Law Graduate level
Total	125 MCQs × 4 marks

Prelims Subject-Wise Syllabus

General Studies 

Paper	Subjects	Topics Covered
General Studies	Current events	National and international events, with emphasis on legal developments, landmark judgments and new legislation
General Studies	Indian legal history	Courts under the East India Company, Regulating Act 1773, Adalat system, codification and Law Commissions, Privy Council and Federal Court
General Studies	Constitutional history and governance	Government of India Acts 1858 to 1935, Indian Independence Act 1947, Constituent Assembly, working of the Union and State governments
General Studies	Analytical skills, reasoning and aptitude	Logical and analytical reasoning questions; HPSC does not publish a sub-topic list

Law paper 

Paper	Subjects	Topics Covered
Law	Code of Civil Procedure, 1908	Jurisdiction (Section 9), res judicata, pleadings, temporary injunctions (Order XXXIX), execution (Order XXI), appeals, review and revision
Law	Limitation Act, 1963	Bar of limitation (Section 3), condonation of delay (Section 5), legal disability, acknowledgment, key Schedule articles
Law	Punjab Courts Act, 1918 (as applicable to Haryana)	Classes of civil courts, pecuniary jurisdiction, appeals from civil courts
Law	Indian Contract Act, 1872	Offer and acceptance, consideration, void agreements, quasi-contracts, damages, indemnity and guarantee, bailment, agency
Law	Indian Partnership Act, 1932	Nature of partnership, rights of partners, effect of non-registration (Section 69), dissolution
Law	Sale of Goods Act, 1930	Conditions and warranties, transfer of property, sale by non-owners, unpaid seller's rights
Law	Specific Relief Act, 1963	Recovery of possession, specific performance (as amended in 2018), rectification and cancellation, declaratory decrees, injunctions
Law	Evidence: Indian Evidence Act, 1872 / Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023	Relevancy, admissions and confessions, dying declarations, electronic records, burden of proof, estoppel, examination of witnesses
Law	Haryana Urban (Control of Rent and Eviction) Act, 1973	Landlord and tenant definitions, fair rent, grounds of eviction, Rent Controller and appellate authority
Law	Hindu Law	Hindu Marriage Act 1955, Hindu Succession Act 1956 (with 2005 amendment), Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act 1956, Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act 1956
Law	Mohammedan Law	Marriage, mahr, dissolution of marriage, maintenance, gifts (hiba), wills, wakf, inheritance
Law	Customary Law	Custom as a rule of decision in Punjab and Haryana, proof of custom, customary succession and adoption
Law	Registration Act, 1908	Compulsory and optional registration, time for presentation, effect of non-registration
Law	Criminal law: IPC / Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023	General exceptions, offences against the body, property, women and children, offences against the State
Law	Criminal procedure: CrPC / Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023	FIR, arrest, bail, investigation, cognizance, charge, trial procedure, plea bargaining, appeals

Download FREE Study Material for Haryana Judiciary

Haryana Judiciary Syllabus 2026 for Mains

Candidates who score at least 150 marks in Prelims (100 for reserved categories other than EWS) and fall within 10 times the number of vacancies, category-wise, write five Mains papers; all five are compulsory and there are no optional papers.

• The Mains has five compulsory descriptive papers carrying 900 marks in total, each of 3 hours.
• Civil Law I (200 marks) covers CPC, Punjab Courts Act, Contract Act, Partnership Act, Sale of Goods Act, Specific Relief Act, Evidence Act and Haryana Urban (Control of Rent and Eviction) Act, 1973.
• Civil Law II (200 marks) covers Hindu Law, Mohammedan Law, Customary Law, Law of Registration and Law of Limitation.
• Criminal Law (200 marks) covers the IPC, CrPC and Evidence Act, now replaced by BNS, BNSS and BSA from 1 July 2024.
• English (200 marks) includes an essay of 1,000 to 1,100 words (100 marks), plus precis, words and phrases, comprehension and corrections (25 marks each).
• Hindi in Devanagari (100 marks) includes translation (20), explanation of a prose and poetry passage (30), and composition (50), at Matriculation level.
• There are no optional subjects in the Haryana Judiciary Mains.
• The exam is written in English except the Hindi paper, and bare acts are supplied in the exam hall.
• Candidates must score at least 33% in a paper for its marks to count, and 50% aggregate (45% for SC, ST, BC, PwBD and ESM) to be called for interview.

Category	Subject
Compulsory	Paper I: Civil Law I
Compulsory	Paper II: Civil Law II
Compulsory	Paper III: Criminal Law
Compulsory	Paper IV: English
Compulsory	Paper V: Language (Hindi in Devanagari script)
Optional (choose any three)	Not applicable in Haryana

Syllabus for Compulsory Subjects

All five Mains papers are compulsory, and the acts below are exactly those named in the HPSC notification (with the new criminal laws shown beside the old codes).

Subject	Topics Covered
Paper I: Civil Law I (200 marks)	Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (also touching the Limitation Act), Punjab Courts Act, 1918 (as applicable to Haryana), Indian Contract Act, 1872, Indian Partnership Act, 1932, Sale of Goods Act, 1930, Specific Relief Act, 1963, Indian Evidence Act, 1872 / Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023, Haryana Urban (Control of Rent and Eviction) Act, 1973
Paper II: Civil Law II (200 marks)	Hindu Law (marriage, adoption, inheritance and other personal and family laws), Mohammedan Law (marriage, dower, divorce, gifts, wills, inheritance), Customary Law as applied in Haryana, Law of Registration (Registration Act, 1908), Law of Limitation (Limitation Act, 1963)
Paper III: Criminal Law (200 marks)	Indian Penal Code, 1860 / Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 / Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, Indian Evidence Act, 1872 / Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023
Paper IV: English (200 marks)	English essay of 1,000 to 1,100 words: 100 marks, Precis: 25 marks, Words and phrases (make sentences with given words and phrases): 25 marks, Comprehension: 25 marks, Corrections: 25 marks
Paper V: Hindi in Devanagari (100 marks)	Translation of an English passage into Hindi: 20 marks, Explanation of a Hindi passage in prose and poetry, in Hindi: 30 marks, Composition (essay, idioms, corrections): 50 marks, Standard: Matriculation level of the Board of School Education, Haryana

Syllabus for Optional Subjects

The Haryana Judiciary Mains has no optional subjects; candidates do not choose three out of five papers as in some other states. Several subjects that are optional elsewhere are either compulsory in Haryana or not part of its syllabus at all, as the table shows.

Subject	Topics Covered (status in the Haryana syllabus)
Constitutional and Administrative Law	Not a Mains paper. Constitutional history and governance are asked only in Prelims. Articles, writs and judicial review can still surface in Prelims through the governance and legal history portion
Hindu and Mohammedan Law	Compulsory, inside Paper II (Civil Law II), together with Customary Law
Transfer of Property Act, Equity, Trusts	Not named in the HPSC notification. Specific Relief Act is compulsory in Civil Law I
Contract and Torts	Indian Contract Act is compulsory in Civil Law I. Law of Torts is not named in the notification
Commercial Law	Partnership Act and Sale of Goods Act are compulsory in Civil Law I. Negotiable Instruments and Company Law are not named

Haryana Judiciary Syllabus 2026 for Interview

The Interview (Viva-Voce) is the final stage, carries 200 marks, is conducted in English and is mandatory. HPSC states that it judges personal qualities and covers matters of general interest, testing alertness, intelligence and general outlook; it does not publish a topic list.

Only candidates with at least 50% aggregate in the written papers (45% for SC, ST, BC, PwBD and ESM candidates) are called, up to three times the number of vacancies.

• The Interview (Viva-Voce) carries 200 marks and is the final stage of selection.
• It is conducted in English, and appearing in it is mandatory.
• HPSC does not prescribe a topic list for the interview.
• The interview judges personal qualities and covers matters of general interest.
• It tests the candidate’s alertness, intelligence and general outlook.
• Up to three times the number of vacancies are called for the Viva-Voce, in order of Mains marks.
• Final selection requires 50% aggregate (45% for SC, ST, BC, PwBD and ESM) in Mains and Viva-Voce combined.
• The final merit list is prepared out of 1,100 marks (Mains 900 + Viva-Voce 200).

Assessment Area	Focus Points
Legal Knowledge and Awareness	Recent Supreme Court and Punjab and Haryana High Court judgments, Changes brought by BNS, BNSS and BSA, Basic working of civil and criminal courts in Haryana
Personal Profile and General Awareness	Your law school, practice or work experience, and why you want to be a judge, Haryana's districts, economy and social issues, National and international events of the last year
Communication and Analytical Skills	Clear, concise answers in English, Reasoning through a hypothetical case or ethical dilemma, Composure when a panel member disagrees with you

Haryana Judiciary Exam Pattern 2026

The Haryana Judiciary exam pattern has three stages, and only Mains and Viva-Voce marks (1,100 in total) count towards the final merit list.

Exam Stage	Exam Type	No. of Papers	Duration
Prelims	Objective MCQ on OMR sheet, 5 options (A to E)	1	2 hours
Mains	Subjective / narrative	5	3 hours per paper
Interview (Viva-Voce)	Personal interview in English	Not applicable	Not specified

Read the full Haryana Judiciary exam pattern for stage-wise details.

Haryana Judiciary Syllabus 2026 Marks Distribution

The marks distribution below follows HPSC Advertisement No. 01/2024, including the internal split of the two language papers.

Exam Stage	Subject / Section	Marks	Exam Type
Prelims	Law subjects, current events, legal and constitutional history, governance, reasoning (125 questions × 4)	500	MCQ
Mains (compulsory)	Civil Law I	200	Descriptive
Mains (compulsory)	Civil Law II	200	Descriptive
Mains (compulsory)	Criminal Law	200	Descriptive
Mains (compulsory)	English: essay 100, precis 25, words and phrases 25, comprehension 25, corrections 25	200	Descriptive
Mains (compulsory)	Hindi: translation 20, explanation 30, composition 50	100	Descriptive
Mains (optional, choose 3)	Not applicable in Haryana	0	Not applicable
Interview	Viva-Voce (personal qualities, general interest)	200	Viva-Voce

How to Prepare for the Haryana Judiciary Exam 2026?

Prepare for Prelims and Mains together, because the Prelims law questions come straight from the Mains acts; these eight steps turn the syllabus into a working plan.

1. Understand the exam pattern: Prelims is screening only, so aim to clear 150 comfortably rather than chase a topper’s score. Mains decides your rank, and language papers carry one-third of its marks. Learn the E-option rule before your first mock, not on exam day.
2. Divide the syllabus: Group the acts by paper: Civil Law I, Civil Law II and Criminal Law. Study evidence law once, deeply, since it serves both Civil Law I and Criminal Law. Keep Haryana-specific laws (Punjab Courts Act, Haryana Urban Rent Act, customary law) as a separate block, because national books cover them thinly.
3. Make a study plan: Give procedural laws (CPC, BNSS) and evidence the longest slots, as they feed questions across papers. Fix one daily slot for English and Hindi writing from week one, and plan a weekly revision day so older acts do not fade.
4. Keep notes handy: Write short notes against bare act sections, since bare acts are supplied in Mains. Maintain an IPC-to-BNS, CrPC-to-BNSS and Evidence Act-to-BSA mapping sheet, and note landmark judgments with one line on what each decided.
5. Practise previous year papers: Solve Haryana Judiciary previous year question papers to see how HPSC frames questions. Mark which acts repeat most often and revise those first, then re-attempt wrong questions after a week to check real learning.
6. Time management and answer writing: Write full timed Mains papers (three hours) at least twice a month in the final phase. Structure answers as provision, explanation, case law and conclusion, and practise finding sections in a bare act quickly, as it saves real minutes in the exam hall.
7. Revision strategy: Run three revision cycles: the full syllabus, then high-weight acts, then notes only. Revise through mock tests rather than rereading chapters, and in the last month take Prelims mocks under the 0.8 negative marking rule.

For a stage-wise timetable, see these Haryana Judiciary preparation tips.

Best Books for Haryana Judiciary Exam 2026 

Candidates can use one standard textbook per act alongside its bare act, and buy the latest edition so criminal law books cover BNS, BNSS and BSA.

Book Name	Author / Publisher
Bare Acts of all syllabus statutes (latest amended editions)	Any standard bare act publisher
Civil Procedure with Limitation Act, 1963	C.K. Takwani / Eastern Book Company
Law of Contract and Specific Relief	Avtar Singh / Eastern Book Company
Principles of Mercantile Law (Partnership, Sale of Goods)	Avtar Singh / Eastern Book Company
The Law of Evidence (edition covering BSA, 2023)	Ratanlal & Dhirajlal / LexisNexis
Criminal law: BNS commentary (latest edition)	Ratanlal & Dhirajlal / LexisNexis
Criminal Procedure (edition covering BNSS, 2023)	R.V. Kelkar / Eastern Book Company
Principles of Hindu Law	Mulla / LexisNexis
Modern Hindu Law	Paras Diwan / Allahabad Law Agency
Principles of Mahomedan Law	Mulla / LexisNexis
A Digest of Civil Law for the Punjab, chiefly based on the Customary Law	Sir W.H. Rattigan
Landmarks in Indian Legal and Constitutional History	V.D. Kulshreshtha / Eastern Book Company
Indian Polity	M. Laxmikanth / McGraw Hill
High School English Grammar and Composition	Wren & Martin / S. Chand
Samanya Hindi	Lucent Publications
General Knowledge (static) plus a monthly current affairs magazine	Lucent Publications

There is no General Science book here because Haryana does not test General Science. For a longer subject-wise list, see the best books for Haryana Judiciary, and pair them with judiciary notes and study material for quick revision.

If you want a structured guidance, take a free demo online class or talk to a Judiciary Gold counsellor about the course.