Supreme Court modifies its 2025 ruling, reducing the mandatory legal practice requirement for entry-level judicial service exams from three years to one
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday modified its May 2025 ruling, reducing the mandatory legal practice requirement for law graduates seeking to appear for entry-level judicial service examinations from three years to one year.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices A.G. Masih and K. Vinod Chandran delivered a 2:1 split decision while dismissing the review petition.
The court clarified that candidates appearing for judicial service examinations notified between May 25, 2025, and March 31, 2027, will remain eligible regardless of their prior legal experience.
However, candidates selected through these examinations will initially be appointed as trainee judicial officers. They will have to undergo one year of training at a judicial academy, followed by another year of structured clerkship.
The latest decision modifies the court’s earlier ruling of May 2025, which had barred fresh law graduates from appearing in entry-level judicial service examinations by introducing a minimum three-year legal practice requirement.
The modification provides a transitional framework for candidates affected by the earlier ruling while retaining practical training requirements for those entering the judicial service.
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