In a Full Court meeting, the Kerala High Court has resolved to amend the Selection Rules for the appointment of Civil Judges (Junior Division), now requiring a minimum of three years of practice as an Advocate for eligibility to apply for the Kerala Judicial Service Examination. This change means that candidates must have at least three years of legal practice before they can take the Munsiff Magistrate exam to become a Civil Judge (Junior Division).
Previously, as per the notification issued on January 31, 2024, for the Kerala Judicial Service Examination, there was no requirement for three years of mandatory practice for applying to the Civil Judge (Junior Division) position.
This amendment follows a similar move by the Madhya Pradesh High Court, which last year introduced a rule mandating that applicants for the Civil Judge (Junior Division) exam must have either achieved 70% marks in their LL.B course or have three years of practice. The Madhya Pradesh High Court upheld this amendment despite challenges, and in April this year, the Supreme Court affirmed the High Court’s decision supporting the amendment to the MP judicial service rules.
