India's top court eases judicial exam entry requirement to one year practice

The Supreme Court on Friday modified its May 2025 verdict, significantly lowering the barrier for law graduates aspiring to judicial service roles. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices AG Masih and K Vinod Chandran reduced the mandatory practice requirement from three years to one year in a 2:1 split decision while dismissing a review petition.

Under the revised framework, candidates appearing in judicial examinations notified between May 25, 2025 and March 31, 2027 will be eligible to apply regardless of prior professional experience. This represents a substantial shift from the court's earlier stance, which had effectively barred fresh law graduates from competing in these entry-level positions.

However, successful candidates will face additional requirements before joining the judiciary. Upon selection, they will be appointed as trainee judicial officers and required to complete one year of training at the judicial academy. This will be followed by a mandatory one-year structured clerkship before permanent placement.

The May 2025 judgment had initially imposed the three-year practice requirement to ensure candidates possessed adequate professional grounding. The latest modification balances concerns about judicial preparedness with broader access to the judiciary, allowing a wider pool of young legal professionals to pursue judicial careers while maintaining quality assurance through extended training and apprenticeship periods.