Reader’s Digest - Are you looking to become a part of the West Bengal Judicial Service? If so, you must know the eligibility criteria you need to fulfil. This article will provide an overview of the eligibility criteria for appearing in the West Bengal Judicial Service exam.

The West Bengal Judicial Services Exam is a state-level exam conducted by the West Bengal Public Service Commission (WBPSC) to recruit judicial officers in West Bengal. 

The West Bengal Judicial Service is a prestigious and esteemed position in the legal system of West Bengal. This position is available to highly qualified and experienced lawyers who want to serve the government in a judicial capacity. 

To be eligible for this position, one must meet the West Bengal Judicial Services Eligibility Criteria 2023 set forth by the West Bengal Public Service Commission.

Candidates must note that the West Bengal Judiciary Application Form commenced on 10 January 2023. So, they must check the main eligibility criteria of West Bengal Judicial Services mentioned below:

• Age
• Educational Qualifications
• Work Experience
• Nationality
• Physical Qualification

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West Bengal Judicial Services Eligibility Criteria 2023

Refer to the following points for the basic eligibility criteria of West Bengal Judicial Services: 

• A citizen of India or such a person of other nationality as declared eligible by the Government of India; 
• A degree in Law from any University or Institution affiliated with any University recognised by the State Government or the Central Government; 
• Enrolment as an advocate in the roll of Bar Council of any State or Union Territory in India on the date of advertisement for the examination; 
• Ability to read, write and speak in Bengali (not required for those candidates whose mother tongue is Nepali);
• Applicants must be of good moral character and have a clean criminal record.

In addition to the West Bengal Judicial Services Eligibility Criteria, certain reservation categories have been specified for recruitment to the West Bengal Judicial Service. These include reservations for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and Physically Handicapped persons. The Government of West Bengal determines the allocation of seats in each category.

West Bengal Judicial Services Eligibility Criteria - Age

As per the official notification, the candidate must not be less than 23 years and not more than 35 years on the date of advertisement for the examination on 30.12.2022. 

Simply put, the candidates must be born before 31.12.1987 and not later than 30.12.1999. 

West Bengal Judicial Services Eligibility Criteria - Age Relaxation

Here are the rules of age relaxation for the WBPCSJ 2023:

(i) Upper age limit is relaxable by five years for SC and ST candidates of West Bengal, by three years for OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) candidates of West Bengal, and upto 45 years of age for Persons with Disabilities having physical disability of 40% and above and by two years for candidates who have been in Government service for at least two years. 

(ii) The claim of a candidate for relaxation of age as a Government employee should be proved by a certificate from the appointing authority showing the period of their continuous service under the Government. The same should be produced on demand. 

(iii) Age will be accepted as recorded only in Madhyamik or equivalent certificate.

Refer to the table for the category-wise age relaxation:

Category	Age Relaxation (in years)
SC of West Bengal	5 years
ST of West Bengal	5 years
OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) of West Bengal	3 years
Persons with Disabilities	Upto 45 years of age
Government Service Employee	2 years

Also Read - West Bengal Judiciary Exam Preparation Tips 2023

West Bengal Judicial Services Eligibility Criteria - Nationality

The candidate must be:

(a) A citizen of India (either natural or by registration), or 

(b) Such other nationals as declared eligible by the Govt. of India

West Bengal Judicial Services Eligibility Criteria - Work Experience & Education

Go through the eligibility criteria mentioned in the following points:

• A degree in Law from any University or Institution affiliated with any University recognised by the State Government or the Central Government; 
• As per clause 49 of the Advocates Act, 1961 “an advocate shall not be a full-time salaried employee of any person, Government, firm, corporation if he/she continues to practise.
• In case he/she takes up any such employment, they must intimate the fact to the Bar Council. Therefore, that person ceases to practice as an advocate as long as he continues in such employment. 
• The ‘employment’ spoken of by rule 49 does not cover the employment of an advocate who had been solely or, in any case, predominantly employed to act and/or plead on behalf of his client in Courts of Law.

West Bengal Judicial Services Eligibility Criteria - Other Requirements

Refer to the other requirements for the West Bengal Judicial Service Exam:

• Good Character - The candidate must have good character and suitability in all respects for appointment to Government service. 
• Physical Fitness - You must be physically and mentally fit for the service/post.
• Character Certificate - You must have a valid character certificate issued by the institute from where you completed your LLB.

Check Out - West Bengal Judiciary Result

West Bengal Judicial Services Eligibility Criteria - Documents Required

Candidates must have the following documents to be eligible for the examination:

A candidate claiming to be SC, ST, OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) or Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (40% and above) must have a certificate in support of his / her claim from a competent authority of West Bengal issued on or before the closing date of submission of application as specified below :

(a) For S.C., S.T. & O.B.C. (Non-Creamy Layer) Candidates:-

i) In the district, the Sub-Divisional Officer of the Sub-Division concerned, and 

ii) In Kolkata, the District Magistrate, South 24-Parganas or such Additional District Magistrate, South 24-Parganas, as may be authorised by the District Magistrate, South 24-Parganas, on this behalf and the District Welfare Officer, Kolkata and Ex-officio Joint Director, Backward Classes Welfare.

(iii) OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) candidates must submit their renewed/revalidated OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) certificates prior to the interview and at the time of appointment. 

(b) For Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD):- 

(i) A Medical Board constituted at Government Medical College Hospitals in Kolkata, District Hospitals and Sub-divisional Hospitals.

(ii) Certificate regarding Physical Limitation in an Examinee to write (Required for only those candidates who opt for Scribe and/Compensatory Time).

(2) The Public Service Commission may require further proof or particulars from the candidates as it may consider necessary and make enquiries about their character and other particulars regarding suitability and eligibility. 

West Bengal Judicial Services Seat Reservation 

Note that the benefits of reservation of vacancies for S.C/S.T/O.B.C.(Non-Creamy Layer) candidates are admissible to S.C./S.T./O.B.C. (Non-Creamy Layer) candidates of West Bengal only. The S.C./S.T./O.B.C. candidates of other States shall be treated as general candidates. 

Conclusion

Thus, we can conclude that the West Bengal Judicial Service exam is a state-level exam conducted by the West Bengal Public Service Commission to recruit judicial officers in the state of West Bengal. Demolish the exam on the first attempt with the best judiciary online coaching. Happy Reading!