Supreme Court Upholds 3-Year Minimum Legal Practice Requirement for Entry into Judicial Service

In a significant ruling impacting judicial appointments across the country, the Supreme Court on Monday upheld the requirement that candidates must have at least three
The verdict was delivered by a Bench comprising Chief Justice of India BR Gavai and Justice AG Masih, who stated:“We hold that the three-year minimum practice requirement to appear for civil judges junior division exam is restored.”

Background
The case stemmed from multiple petitions challenging a rule introduced by the Madhya Pradesh High Court through a 2002 amendment to its judicial service rules. This amendment mandated that candidates must possess a minimum of three years’ experience as practicing advocate to be eligible for judicial service examinations. Over time, this practice-based eligibility norm was adopted by several other states.