Tamil Nadu State Judicial Service District Judge (Entry Level) Recruitment

Basic eligibility paths

• ✓Recruitment is governed by the Tamil Nadu State Judicial Service (Cadre and Recruitment) Rules, 2007, as amended, and applications are accepted only online through the High Court's recruitment portal or the Government website.
• ✓An advocate must produce educational credentials, the Bar Council enrolment certificate and an experience certificate from the Presiding Officer of the court where he or she practises; an advocate practising in the High Court of Madras obtains it from the Registrar (Judicial) at the Principal Seat or Madurai Bench, and one practising in another High Court or the Supreme Court from the Registrar in charge of the judicial side of that court.
• ✓An Assistant Public Prosecutor must produce a service certificate from the Director of Prosecution with a No Objection Certificate.
• ✓Every applicant must produce a character and conduct certificate from a Senior Advocate or an advocate of not less than ten years' standing, plus two more from responsible non-relatives acquainted with the candidate privately.
• ✓Candidates from other States and Union Territories can apply only under the Unreserved category and get no age relaxation, reservation or fee concession; no special age concession applies to destitute widows or ex-servicemen.
• ✓The educational qualifications must have been obtained in the order of study — 10th/SSLC, then HSC or its equivalent, then the Bachelor's and law degree.

Relaxations & certificates

• SC/ST, OBC-NCL, PwBD and ex-servicemen relaxations follow the applicable notification.
• Always check the certificate format and cut-off date in the official notice.

Selection stages

1. 1Preliminary examination — two objective OMR papers of 100 marks each, three hours per paper, bilingual in English and Tamil, with 0.25 mark deducted for each wrong answer; the minimum per paper is 40 marks for UR and other-State candidates, 35 for BC, BCM and MBC/DC of Tamil Nadu and 30 for SC, SC(A) and ST of Tamil Nadu, and the marks are not counted towards final merit
2. 2Main examination — four descriptive papers of 75 marks each, three hours per paper, on two consecutive days: Law Paper-I and the Translation and Essay Writing paper on the first day, Law Paper-II and Judgment Writing on the second; a candidate must clear the per-paper minimum of 33.75, 30 or 26.25 marks by category to reach the viva-voce
3. 3Viva-voce test of 100 marks, with a minimum of 40 marks needed for inclusion in the selection list; character and suitability are separately verified by the competent authority
4. 4Final selection on the total of the main examination and viva-voce marks, according to merit and the communal roster

Syllabus snapshot

• Preliminary Paper-I (Notification No. 1/2023) — Constitution of India, interpretation of statutes, jurisprudence and legal phraseology, legal maxims, legal history, the Legal Services Authority Act 1987 and the Right to Information Act 2005.
• Preliminary Paper-I also covers the Code of Civil Procedure 1908, Civil Rules of Practice 1905, Tamil Nadu Court Fees and Suits Valuation Act 1955, Limitation Act 1963, Arbitration and Conciliation Act 1996, Commercial Courts Act 2015, General Clauses Act 1897 and the Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions Act.
• Preliminary Paper-I further covers contract, specific relief, partnership, sale of goods, easements, transfer of property, negotiable instruments, rent control, stamp and registration law; motor vehicles, torts and land acquisition law; personal and succession laws with the Guardians and Wards Act, Indian Trusts Act and Family Courts Act; intellectual property statutes; and industrial, labour, income-tax, co-operative societies, mental healthcare and mines-and-minerals law.
• Preliminary Paper-II — CrPC 1973 and Criminal Rules of Practice, Indian Penal Code 1860, Indian Evidence Act 1872, NDPS Act 1985, Prevention of Corruption Act 1988, Electricity Act 2003, Protection of Human Rights Act 1993 and the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989.
• Preliminary Paper-II also covers the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, Essential Commodities Act 1955, Juvenile Justice Act 2015, POCSO Act 2012, Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005, Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act 2013, Information Technology Act 2000, Prevention of Money Laundering Act 2002, UAPA 1967, National Security Act 1980 and the NIA Act; plus medical jurisprudence, central and Tamil Nadu criminal minor Acts, general knowledge, legal aptitude and reasoning, basic computer knowledge and environmental laws.
• Main examination — the syllabi for Law Paper-I and Law Paper-II are the same as the preliminary examination's; the Translation and Essay Writing paper tests writing skill, an essay on a general topic and current developments in law, and translation from Tamil to English and English to Tamil; the Judgment Writing paper tests framing of issues, framing of charges and writing judgments and orders in civil and criminal cases.
• The notification states that the Acts and Rules listed in the syllabus are illustrative and not exhaustive.