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Role to investigateSource-checked · reviewed 23 Oct 202610 sources cited

Civil Judge (Junior Division) recruitment

Investigate entry to the judicial service as a Civil Judge (Junior Division), including the Supreme Court’s August 2026 change to the practice requirement and the training that follows selection.

At a glance

Checked 23 Oct 2026 · 10 sources · next review 20 Nov 2026

Cost, pay and hours

As sourced
  1. 1
    Extra cost4 sourced
      • Andhra Pradesh charges Rs.1500/- for Open Category/EWS/BC applicants and Rs.750/- for SC/ST/Persons with Benchmark Disabilities, paid online.
      • Only applicants from a community recognised as SC/ST in the State of A.P. get the Rs.750/- concession.
      • The fee is not refunded even if the application is rejected for any reason or the notification is cancelled.
      Basis:
      • Indian rupees
      • per attempt
      • online application processing fee and examination fee
      • excludes travel
      • coaching
      Show scopeScope:AP Civil Judge (Junior Division) 2026; application window now extended to 10.11.2026.
      Note:
      • Concessional fee only for SC/ST recognised in Andhra Pradesh.
      • No travel allowance or daily allowance is paid to candidates.
    • Telangana charged Rs.1250 (OC/BC) and Rs.600 (EWS/PWD/SC/ST) as application processing/examination fee for its 2025 cycle.Basis:
      • Indian rupees
      • per attempt
      • online application processing fee/examination fee
      • excludes travel
      Show scopeScope:Telangana 2025 cycle (closed 29.12.2025).
      Note:Not the fee for a future Telangana notification; no TA/DA is paid to candidates.
    Show 2 more
      • Kerala's 30.03.2026 notification set the fee at Rs.1250 for all other categories and Nil for SC/ST and unemployed persons with benchmark disabilities
      • the notice was called off and fees already paid are to be adjusted against the fresh notification.
      Basis:
      • Indian rupees
      • per attempt
      • application
      • excludes offline-payment charges
      Show scopeScope:Kerala 2026 cycle, cancelled 05.06.2026.
      Note:A fresh notification may set a different fee.
    • Meghalaya charged Rs.700 (General) and Rs.350 (SC/ST), with persons with benchmark disabilities exempted on a valid certificate.Basis:
      • Indian rupees
      • per attempt
      • application
      • excludes bank charges (not stated)
      Show scopeScope:Meghalaya Feb-March 2026 cycle, closed.
      Note:Cash payment at SBI is also accepted; fee is non-refundable.
  2. 2
    Pay6 sourced
      • The High Court of Andhra Pradesh's notification of 25.09.2026 for 119 Civil Judge (Junior Division) posts states the pay scale as Rs.77840 - 136520
      • it describes Andhra Pradesh State Judicial (Service & Cadre) Rules, 2026 as governing the recruitment.
      Basis:
      • Indian rupees
      • per month (the notice does not print 'per month'
      • the Meghalaya notice prints Rs. 77,840/-p.m.)
      • pay scale of the post of Civil Judge (Junior Division), Andhra Pradesh
      Show scopeScope:
      • Andhra Pradesh State Judicial Service, Civil Judge (Junior Division), 2026 recruitment
      • scale stated without a pay-matrix level or the date of the scale.
      Note:
      • Not a take-home figure; allowances (DA, HRA etc.) are not stated.
      • Does not say that a new recruit starts at the bottom of the scale or when the scale was fixed. No level name is given.
      • Excludes allowances and any trainee-period reduction.
    • The Telangana High Court's notification No.45/2025-RC of 01.12.2025 states the scale of pay of Civil Judge (Junior Division) as Rs.77,840/- to Rs.1,36,520/- under revised pay scales effective from 1.1.2016.Basis:
      • Indian rupees
      • per month (not printed in the notice)
      • scale of pay, Civil Judge (Junior Division), Telangana
      Show scopeScope:Telangana State Judicial Service, 2025 recruitment cycle (applications 08-29 December 2025; now at viva-voce stage).
      Note:
      • Pre-dates the 21 August 2026 judgment.
      • Not a take-home figure; no pay-matrix level is named. Excludes allowances.
    Show 4 more
      • The Kerala High Court's notification of 30.03.2026 for Civil Judge (Junior Division) states pay of 77840 - 136520.
      • That notification was called off on 05.06.2026.
      Basis:
      • Indian rupees
      • per month (not printed)
      • pay of the post of Civil Judge (Junior Division), Kerala
      Show scopeScope:Kerala Judicial Service, 2026 cycle; notice later cancelled.
      Note:The notice is no longer live, so the figure is evidence of the scale, not of an open vacancy. No pay-matrix level named. Excludes allowances.
    • The High Court of Meghalaya's advertisement of 17.02.2026 states the pay for Civil Judge (Junior Division)-cum-JMFC (Grade-III) is in pay level J-1 of the Pay Matrix, i.e. Rs. 77,840 per month, plus other allowances as admissible under the Rules.Basis:
      • Indian rupees
      • per month
      • entry pay, Meghalaya Judicial Service Grade-III
      Show scopeScope:
      • Meghalaya Judicial Service, 10 posts, applications closed 17 March 2026.
      • This is the only notice read that names the pay-matrix level (J-1).
      Note:
      • Pre-dates the 21 August 2026 judgment.
      • Does not give the top of the scale. 'J-1' is the Meghalaya notice's own label
      • the AP, Telangana and Kerala notices do not use it.
      Show 1 more
      • Excludes other allowances 'as admissible under the Rules' (not quantified).
      • The Supreme Court's 21 August 2026 judgment fixes the pay of Trainee Judicial Officers during the one-year State Judicial Academy training at one-half of the remuneration payable to a Judicial Magistrate First Class in the concerned State, plus the usual Academy facilities
      • the same emoluments continue during the one-year Law Clerkship with no further allowance
      • after satisfactory evaluation they get the regular pay scale.
      Basis:
      • Indian rupees
      • not stated (remuneration basis)
      • Trainee Judicial Officer during Academy training and law clerkship
      Show scopeScope:
      • Transition period (notifications up to 31.03.2027)
      • paragraph 74(iii) applies the same training/clerkship to later notifications.
      Note:
      • No rupee figure: the amount depends on each State's JMFC remuneration.
      • The dissent says continuing two years on half pay is prejudicial.
      • Excludes any rupee amount; allowances beyond Academy facilities.
    • Andhra Pradesh's notification says Trainee Judicial Officers get a fixed emolument equivalent to one-half of the remuneration payable to a Civil Judge (Junior Division) during the one-year Judicial Academy training, and the same during the one-year Law Clerkship.Basis:
      • Indian rupees
      • not stated
      • training and law clerkship period
      Show scopeScope:AP 2026 recruitment. Note the AP notice says half of a Civil Judge (Junior Division)'s remuneration, whereas the Supreme Court judgment says half of a Judicial Magistrate First Class's.
      Note:No rupee figure printed. The notice marks the section 'pending amendments to the A.P. State Judicial (Service and Cadre) Rules, 2026'. Excludes any rupee amount.
  3. 3
    Shifts & hours3 sourced
    • Odisha High Court's General Rules and Circular Orders (Criminal) say court hours are ordinarily 10.30 AM to 5.00 PM with a half-hour recess, with morning sittings from 7.00 AM to 1.00 PM, and courts ordinarily commence sitting not later than 11 AM and rise at 4 PM.
      Show scopeScope:Criminal courts under Orissa High Court; the file is a consolidated rule book of unspecified date.
      Note:
      • Applies to criminal courts in Odisha; the civil rules were not read.
      • Note 3 says hours of Criminal Courts are regulated by general or special orders of the High Court from time to time.
    • Under the Supreme Court judgment, a selected candidate spends one year on intensive training at the State Judicial Academy and one further year on structured Law Clerkship (six months under a District or Sessions Judge, six months under a sitting High Court Judge) before appointment to the regular post.
      Show scopeScope:
      • Notifications issued up to 31.03.2027
      • later notifications get the same training and clerkship after one year of prior practice.
      Note:No daily or weekly hours, shifts, travel or on-call duty are stated in the judgment or in the AP notice.
    Show 1 more
    • Telangana's notification says everyone appointed as Civil Judge (Junior Division) undergoes one year of training in the State Judicial Academy before presiding in a Court, then serves on probation for two years within a continuous period of three years.
      Show scopeScope:Telangana 2025 cycle, under the Telangana State Judicial (Service and Cadre) Rules 2023.
      Note:Predates the judgment, so does not include the extra law-clerkship year.

Reality check

From the sources
The work
Not established. The cited judgment sets who may apply and how recruits are trained, not what a civil judge does day to day.
Entry requirements
  • For recruitment notifications issued up to 31 March 2027, the Supreme Court’s 21 August 2026 judgment lets all law graduates apply.
  • For notifications issued from 1 April 2027 a candidate needs at least one year of actual practice, evidenced by a Certificate of Practice.
  • Each state’s High Court and government advertise their own notice, age limit and examination: Andhra Pradesh’s notification of 25 September 2026, for example, words the rule as “all Law graduates who have obtained Law Degree preceding one year as on the date of Notification”.
Trade-offs to consider
  • The scheme is set for five years and then to be reviewed, and one of the three judges disagreed, so the rule may change again.
  • Selected candidates first train as “Trainee Judicial Officers” before taking up the post.
  • State rules are being amended, so check your state’s current notice.
  • Pay, vacancies and age limits are not established here.

Skills & employers

From the sources
Skills to investigate
  • Legal reading
  • Written reasoning
  • Exam preparation
Employers named in sources
  • High Court of Andhra Pradesh at Amaravati
  • High Court for the State of Telangana
  • High Court of Kerala
  • High Court of Meghalaya
  • High Court of Gujarat
  • Bihar Public Service Commission
Examples in cited pages, not a hiring list.
Study or credential needed
  • For notifications issued up to 31 March 2027, the Supreme Court says all law graduates are eligible to apply despite the three-year practice rule, are deemed to have completed one year of active practice, and need not furnish a Certificate of Practice for that period.
    Show scopeScope:Transition period; notifications issued after the judgment under review up to 31.03.2027.
    Note:
    • The judgment says 'law graduates'
    • it does not say anything about enrolment as an advocate for this window.
    • Each state's own rules and notice are applied, and the Court asked for rules to be amended within three months.
    • For notifications issued on or after 1 April 2027, every candidate must have at least one year of actual practice, verified by a Certificate of Practice that is issued only after the candidate's presence and participation in effective judicial proceedings are recorded under a mechanism the High Courts prescribe
    • the application is entertained only with that certificate.
    Show scopeScope:From 01.04.2027 notifications; scheme in force for five years from 21 August 2026.
    Note:
    • No High Court mechanism for the certificate was found as of 24 October 2026.
    • Whether a candidate must be enrolled with a State Bar Council is not stated in these paragraphs, although the earlier 20.05.2025 directions reproduced at paragraph 22 (direction (viii)) count practice from provisional enrolment with the State Bar Council.

What employers ask for

9 sourced
  • The Supreme Court’s 21 August 2026 judgment says that for recruitment notifications for Civil Judge (Junior Division) issued up to 31 March 2027, all law graduates shall be eligible to apply notwithstanding the three-year practice requirement, are deemed to have completed one year of active practice, and need not furnish a separate Certificate of Practice for that period.
    Source: Supreme Court of India ↗
    Show scopeScope:
    • The majority opinion of two judges; the third judge disagreed.
    • A state may still be amending its rules, which the Court asked it to do within three months.
  • The Supreme Court’s 21 August 2026 judgment says that for recruitment notifications issued on or after 1 April 2027, every candidate for Civil Judge (Junior Division) must possess at least one year of actual practice, verified by a Certificate of Practice that is issued only after the candidate’s presence and participation in effective judicial proceedings have been recorded under a mechanism the High Courts prescribe.
    Source: Supreme Court of India ↗
    Show scopeScope:
    • High Courts are yet to prescribe the mechanism.
    • The scheme is to be revisited after five years.
    • High Court of Andhra Pradesh: Notification No.118/2026-RC (25.09.2026) invites online applications for 119 Civil Judge (Junior Division) posts (96 direct recruitment, 23 by transfer)
    • the closing date has been extended from 26.10.2026 to 10.11.2026 by notification dated 16.10.2026.
    Names: LL.B. / BA LL.B.Source: High Court of Andhra Pradesh at Amaravati ↗
    Show scopeScope:Open on 24 October 2026; the only post-judgment notice found.
    Not established:
    • Law graduates with a degree 'preceding one year'; see credentials for the wording.
    • Open to those in Andhra Pradesh and elsewhere subject to the notice (Telugu translation test).
Show 6 more
    • High Court for the State of Telangana: Notification No.45/2025-RC (01.12.2025) for 94 Civil Judge (Junior Division) posts (66 direct recruitment, 28 by transfer).
    • Written examinations held 20.06.2026 and 21.06.2026
    • results and the viva-voce schedule were notified 17.09.2026 (viva-voce 5.10.2026 to 8.10.2026)
    Show 2 more
    • hall ticket numbers of provisionally selected candidates were declared on 15.10.2026.
    • The 'Vacancy Position in the Cadre of Civil Judges (Junior Division) for the year 2026' (Notification No.27/2026-RC, 30.01.2026) says there are 'nil' vacancies to notify for 2026.
    Names: LL.B. / BA LL.B.Source: High Court for the State of Telangana ↗
    Show scopeScope:2025 cycle, closed to new applicants.
    Not established:No 2026 Telangana notification has been published on the listing as of 24 October 2026.
    • High Court of Kerala: notification of 30.03.2026 for Civil Judge (Junior Division) was called off on 05.06.2026 in view of the Supreme Court's interim order of 22.05.2026 in W.P.(C) No.1110/2025
    • a fresh notification will follow rule amendments.
    Names: LL.B. / BA LL.B.Source: High Court of Kerala ↗
    Show scopeScope:Kerala; no fresh notification appears on the recruitment portal home page on 24 October 2026.
    Not established:Does not say when a fresh notice will come.
  • High Court of Meghalaya: advertisement of 17.02.2026 for 10 posts of Civil Judge (Junior Division)-cum-JMFC (Grade-III), applications closed 17.03.2026 (online from 17.02.2026).
    Names: LL.B. / BA LL.B.Source: High Court of Meghalaya ↗
    Show scopeScope:Closed; shown as a real notice, not an open one.
    Not established:A later Meghalaya notice may exist; none was read.
    • High Court of Gujarat: notification RC/0719/2026 of 24/04/2026 notifies about 237 regular vacancies for the cadre of Civil Judges and says the recruitment process will be initiated shortly
    • no detailed advertisement for 2026 appears in the current-openings list read.
    Source: High Court of Gujarat ↗
    Show scopeScope:Vacancy notice only; no eligibility, pay or fee stated.
    Not established:Does not state eligibility, pay or fees.
  • Bihar Public Service Commission's exam calendar (header 'Date: 14-08-2026', 'All dates are tentative') lists Advertisement 12/2026, 33rd Bihar Judicial Services, 173 posts, with 30-05-2026 in the Prelims date column, no later dates, and the remark 'Stay orders from Honourable Supreme Court' in the Remarks column.
    Source: Bihar Public Service Commission ↗
    Show scopeScope:
    • Exam calendar says all dates are tentative
    • the advertisement PDF is not on the pages checked at bpsc.bihar.gov.in, so eligibility, pay and fee for Bihar are not established from a primary source.
    Not established:Does not establish the current status after the 21 August 2026 judgment.
    • The Andhra Pradesh notice names a law degree as the qualification (direct recruitment: 'All Law graduates'
    • recruitment by transfer: 'a Degree in Law awarded by any University established by Law in India').
    • The Telangana, Kerala and Meghalaya notices also name a law degree.
    Show 1 more
    • No notice read uses the abbreviation LL.B.
    Names: LL.B. / BA LL.B.Source: High Court of Andhra Pradesh at Amaravati ↗
    Show scopeScope:Andhra Pradesh 2026 notice; the same wording of a law degree appears in the Telangana, Kerala and Meghalaya notices.
    Not established:
    • The notices name 'Law Degree'/'law graduates', not 'LL.B.' or 'BA LL.B.' literally.
    • No notice excludes LL.B. holders.

The work and what comes next

7 sourced
What can come next
  • The Supreme Court’s 21 August 2026 judgment says selected candidates are designated Trainee Judicial Officers and undergo one year of intensive training at the State Judicial Academy, followed by one year of law clerkship (six months under a district judge and six months under a High Court judge), in the transition period and in the later scheme.
    Source: Supreme Court of India ↗
    Show scopeScope:The judgment fixes trainees’ pay during the Academy year at one-half of a Judicial Magistrate First Class’s remuneration in the state; no rupee figure is stated.
    • The Supreme Court’s 21 August 2026 judgment says the scheme shall remain in force for five years from the date of the judgment, after which the Court will review its working, and that State Governments must notify the necessary rule amendments within three months.
    • One of the three judges, in a separate judgment, disagreed with the review being allowed.
    Source: Supreme Court of India ↗
    Show scopeScope:
    • A judgment can be challenged or revisited
    • the rule described is the one in force on the date of the judgment.
Show 5 more
    • After the Law Clerkship, a High Court Judge submits a reasoned evaluation report
    • if satisfactory, the Trainee Judicial Officer is appointed to the regular post and is entitled to the regular pay scale and service benefits
    • the Court notes the evaluation must be objective and not an additional barrier.
    Source: Supreme Court of India ↗
    Show scopeScope:Transition and later scheme.
    Not established:Promotion beyond the entry post (Civil Judge (Senior Division), district judge) is not covered here.
  • Telangana's notice says every appointee is on probation for two years within a continuous period of three years, and the Academy training can be given in spells.
    Names: LL.B. / BA LL.B.Source: High Court for the State of Telangana ↗
    Show scopeScope:Telangana 2025 cycle.
    Not established:The Kerala notice states a similar two-year probation within three years.
  • The dissenting judge (K. Vinod Chandran J.) wrote that continuing for two years on half the pay of a Civil Judge (Junior Division) would be prejudicial to new recruits and a strain on the exchequer, and that he saw no scope for a review of the three-year rule.
    Source: Supreme Court of India ↗
    Show scopeScope:One judge's view in a 2:1 decision.
    Not established:It is a dissent, not the law; the majority's scheme governs.
  • A notice can be withdrawn: Kerala's 30.03.2026 notification was called off on 05.06.2026 in view of the Supreme Court's interim order of 22.05.2026 in W.P.(C) No.1110/2025, and because the amendment to the Special Rules incorporating the three-year practice requirement had not yet been formally effected.
    Names: LL.B. / BA LL.B.Source: High Court of Kerala ↗
    Show scopeScope:Kerala.
    Not established:Does not mean other states will cancel; AP's notification was extended instead.
  • Andhra Pradesh's notice says its eligibility and training provisions are 'pending amendments' to its 2026 State Judicial Rules, that merely applying gives no right to be considered for appointment, and that the High Court may increase, decrease or cancel the vacancies at any stage.
    Names: LL.B. / BA LL.B.Source: High Court of Andhra Pradesh at Amaravati ↗
    Show scopeScope:AP 2026 notice.
    Not established:Does not say amendments are expected to change the eligibility.

Sources and unanswered questions

  • Supreme Court of India, judgment of 21 August 2026 · India · state notices differ and are being amended.
  • Source checking confirms only the scoped statements on this page, not anyone’s individual eligibility.
  • Confirm current requirements with the employer or programme.
  • Supreme Court of India, Bhumika Trust v. Union of India, 21 August 2026 (2026 INSC 904) ↗Supreme Court of India · accessed 23 Oct 2026
    Show scopeScope:
    • A 45-page majority judgment (21 August 2026) followed by a separate judgment of a dissenting judge.
    • States and High Courts must amend their rules within three months, so what a particular state advertises can differ until they do.
    • The Court’s disclaimer says the original records prevail.
    Checked by a person; not monitored automatically.
  • Notification No.118/2026-RC dated 25.09.2026 (Civil Judge (Junior Division)) ↗High Court of Andhra Pradesh at Amaravati · accessed 24 Oct 2026
    Show scopeScope:
    • Andhra Pradesh State Judicial Service, Civil Judge (Junior Division), 2026 recruitment
    • scale stated without a pay-matrix level or the date of the scale.
    Not established:
    • Not a take-home figure; allowances (DA, HRA etc.) are not stated.
    • Does not say that a new recruit starts at the bottom of the scale or when the scale was fixed. No level name is given.
    Checked by a person; not monitored automatically.
  • Notification No.45/2025-RC dated 01.12.2025 (JCJ, 94 posts) ↗High Court for the State of Telangana · accessed 24 Oct 2026
    Show scopeScope:Telangana State Judicial Service, 2025 recruitment cycle (applications 08-29 December 2025; now at viva-voce stage).
    Not established:
    • Pre-dates the 21 August 2026 judgment.
    • Not a take-home figure; no pay-matrix level is named.
    Checked by a person; not monitored automatically.
  • Notification: Kerala Judicial Service Examination - 2026 (HCKL/115/2026-REC 4, 30.03.2026) ↗High Court of Kerala · accessed 24 Oct 2026
    Show scopeScope:Kerala Judicial Service, 2026 cycle; notice later cancelled.
    Not established:The notice is no longer live, so the figure is evidence of the scale, not of an open vacancy. No pay-matrix level named.    Checked by a person; not monitored automatically.
  • Advertisement HCM.11/27/2024-Rect/20 dated 17.02.2026, Meghalaya Judicial Service Civil Judge (Junior Division)-cum-JMFC ↗High Court of Meghalaya · accessed 24 Oct 2026
    Show scopeScope:
    • Meghalaya Judicial Service, 10 posts, applications closed 17 March 2026.
    • This is the only notice read that names the pay-matrix level (J-1).
    Not established:
    • Pre-dates the 21 August 2026 judgment.
    • Does not give the top of the scale. 'J-1' is the Meghalaya notice's own label
    • the AP, Telangana and Kerala notices do not use it.
    Checked by a person; not monitored automatically.
  • General Rules and Circular Orders (Criminal) Vol. I, Part I, Chapter I, rule 1 ↗High Court of Orissa · accessed 24 Oct 2026
    Show scopeScope:Criminal courts under Orissa High Court; the file is a consolidated rule book of unspecified date.
    Not established:
    • Applies to criminal courts in Odisha; the civil rules were not read.
    • Note 3 says hours of Criminal Courts are regulated by general or special orders of the High Court from time to time.
    Checked by a person; not monitored automatically.
  • Notification ROC.NO.118/2026-RC dated 16.10.2026 (extension of time) ↗High Court of Andhra Pradesh at Amaravati · accessed 24 Oct 2026
    Show scopeScope:Open on 24 October 2026; the only post-judgment notice found.
    Not established:
    • Law graduates with a degree 'preceding one year'; see credentials for the wording.
    • Open to those in Andhra Pradesh and elsewhere subject to the notice (Telugu translation test).
    Checked by a person; not monitored automatically.
  • Notification of 05.06.2026 (calling off notification dated 30.03.2026) ↗High Court of Kerala · accessed 24 Oct 2026
    Show scopeScope:Kerala; no fresh notification appears on the recruitment portal home page on 24 October 2026.
    Not established:Does not say when a fresh notice will come.    Checked by a person; not monitored automatically.
  • Notification RC/0719/2026 (vacancies for Civil Judges) ↗High Court of Gujarat · accessed 24 Oct 2026
    Show scopeScope:Vacancy notice only; no eligibility, pay or fee stated.
    Not established:Does not state eligibility, pay or fees.    Checked by a person; not monitored automatically.
  • Exam Calendar (Bihar Public Service Commission) ↗Bihar Public Service Commission · accessed 24 Oct 2026
    Show scopeScope:
    • Exam calendar says all dates are tentative
    • the advertisement PDF is not on the pages checked at bpsc.bihar.gov.in, so eligibility, pay and fee for Bihar are not established from a primary source.
    Not established:Does not establish the current status after the 21 August 2026 judgment.    Checked by a person; not monitored automatically.
Your next step: Read your state High Court’s latest recruitment notice, and check whether its practice requirement follows the 21 August 2026 judgment.
Open the comparisonBuild a resume for this path

Keep reading

A source names these qualifications for this profile: LL.B. / BA LL.B.