For the last year and a half, final-year law students have been living with one anxious question: will I have to wait three years before I can even sit a judicial services exam? Some changed plans. Some started practice earlier than they wanted. Many simply waited for the Supreme Court to speak again.
It did, on 21 August 2026. The judgment (reported as 2026 INSC 904) does not scrap the idea of practice before the Bench, but it changes how it works and, for now, opens the door again for fresh graduates. Here is what it says, in plain language, checked against the judgment itself on 10 November 2026.
The question is older than most of today’s aspirants. In 1993 the Supreme Court asked States to require three years’ practice for entry-level judicial posts; in 2002 a later bench removed that condition. On 20 May 2025, in the All India Judges Association case, the Court restored a minimum of three years’ practice at the Bar for the post of Civil Judge (Junior Division), counted from the date of provisional enrolment with the State Bar Council, and applying only to recruitments started after that date.
Review petitions followed, and the Court decided them on 21 August 2026.
The majority judgment, written by Chief Justice Surya Kant for himself and Justice Augustine George Masih, modified the May 2025 ruling. Justice K. Vinod Chandran disagreed and would not have reviewed the earlier decision, so this was a 2:1 decision.
The new scheme has two phases, depending on when a recruitment notification is issued.
For Civil Judge (Junior Division) recruitments notified after the May 2025 judgment and up to 31 March 2027:
For recruitments notified on or after 1 April 2027, every candidate must have at least one year of actual practice, supported by a Certificate of Practice. The judgment says the certificate should not be issued unless the candidate’s presence and participation in real judicial proceedings has been recorded, under a mechanism the High Courts will prescribe. Applications will be accepted only with this one-year certificate for practice in the District Courts.
Selected candidates will still go through the same one year of academy training and one year of clerkship.
| Question | Notified up to 31 Mar 2027 | Notified from 1 Apr 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Who can apply? | All law graduates | Candidates with at least 1 year of certified practice |
| Practice certificate needed? | No (1 year deemed) | Yes, 1 year in District Courts |
| After selection | 1 year academy training + 1 year law clerkship | Same training and clerkship |
| Pay during training and clerkship | Half of a JMFC’s remuneration | Same, per the judgment’s directions |
The Court also directed State Governments, with their High Courts, to amend their recruitment rules within three months of the judgment. It said the scheme will run for five years, after which it will be reviewed.
If you are in your final year or recently graduated, the next few months matter. Recruitments notified up to 31 March 2027 are open to you without practice, so watch your High Court’s and Public Service Commission’s notices closely. What we could not confirm: which States have already amended their rules under the three-month direction, and their exact notification dates. Check your State’s official notice before you plan around this post.
If you are further away, start thinking about where your one year of practice will come from, and how it will be recorded. And whichever phase you fall in, remember that the training and clerkship years are now part of the job itself, not an obstacle before it.
Many law graduates also prepare for the civil services; Law is one of UPSC’s 48 optional subjects, which our guide to choosing a UPSC optional covers. For our judiciary programme, see the Judiciary page, or talk to us about your plans.
If the last eighteen months made you doubt whether the Bench was ever going to be within reach, this judgment is worth reading slowly. The road is longer than it once was, but it is clearly marked now, and the time in a courtroom or a judge’s chamber will make you a better judge than any textbook alone. That is, in the end, what the whole debate has been about.
Yes, for recruitments notified up to 31 March 2027. Under the Supreme Court’s judgment of 21 August 2026 (2026 INSC 904), all law graduates can apply and are deemed to have one year of practice.
For notifications issued on or after 1 April 2027, candidates need at least one year of actual practice, with a Certificate of Practice for practice in the District Courts.
Not exactly. The judgment keeps a three-year requirement in effect but counts one year of academy training and one year of law clerkship after selection towards it.
Yes. During training and clerkship, they get a fixed emolument equal to half the remuneration of a Judicial Magistrate First Class in the State, according to the judgment.
No. It was 2:1. Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Augustine George Masih formed the majority; Justice K. Vinod Chandran dissented.
Sources (checked 10 November 2026)
This post explains the judgment in general terms and is not legal advice. Your State’s recruitment rules and notification are what finally apply.
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