Want to know how to become a judge in india? Well you have landed on the right article. A judge is a person who has the right to make an impartial decision in the pursuit of justice.
A judge rules on law cases and questions. In India, to become a judge one needs to qualify in the Judicial Services Examination or the Provincial Civil Service- Judicial Examination.
This exam is conducted by the Public Service Commission of all the Indian states every year. Based on various jurisdictions the responsibilities and power of a judge vary in each state.
All the cases that a judge needs to solve to make the right decision have several emotions, values, and stakes related to them.
A judge has the responsibility to decide the plaintiff’s and the accused person’s fate.
How to Become a Judge in India?
To become a judge in India, the required powers and eligibility criteria are different in each court, for instance in the Supreme Court, top-level national high courts, and the subordinate courts.
Basic Requirements of 3 Major Categories of Judges in India
- Judge in Supreme Courts in India: A Supreme Court judge is appointed by the President of India.
The qualifications to become a judge in the Supreme Courts or the Apex courts of India are the following:
· He/ She must be a citizen of India
· Should possess an LLB or LLM degree.
· The person must be an advocate in high courts for 10 years or a judge of a high court for at least 5 years.
· A person with exceptional jurist status is also eligible to become a judge in the Supreme Courts of India according to the President. - The judge in High Courts in India: The high courts are the chief centre of a state’s judicial administration. The qualifications to become a judge in the high courts of India are the following:
· He/ She must be a citizen of India
· Should possess an LLB or LLM degree.
· The person must be an advocate in high courts for 10 years or worked in a judicial office in India for 10 years. - Judge in Subordinate Courts in India: The district-level courts are known as subordinate courts. The qualifications to become a judge in the subordinate courts of India are the following:
· He/ she possesses an LLB or LLM degree.
· The person must pass the exam by the State Public Service Commission.
Examination Categories
An aspirant must appear in Judicial Services Examination or PCS (J) to become a judge in India. For appearing in the Judicial Services Examination an aspirant must possess an LLB or LLM degree.
These two types of examinations are:
- Higher Judicial Services (HJS)
- Lower Judicial Services (LJS)
Higher Judicial Services (HJS): HJS exams are conducted to promote Civil Judges to the District Judges or for the Advocates to appoint to district courts as a judge.
Lower Judicial Services (LJS): LJS exams are conducted to appoint Civil Judges in the different state courts. These exams are conducted by the high courts or the respective state public service commission.
3 Common Steps to Recruitment
Both the HJS and LJS exams have 2 common steps of recruitment. These steps are the following:
1. Preliminary Exam: Objective-based MCQs are asked in this preliminary stage of the exam. For general category candidates, the minimum passing mark is 60% while for reserved categories the minimum passing mark is 55%.
2. Mains Exam: In this exam pattern subjective type questions are asked. Candidates securing 40% in subjective papers, as well as 50% in total, are generally called for the next round.
3. Viva voice: Viva voice is conducted for qualified candidates. Candidates need to appear in an interview in front of the recruitment panel.
Eligibility Criteria and Syllabus for HJS and LJS
about judge courses
The eligibility criteria and syllabus for HJS are the following:
-Eligibility Criteria: He/ she must be an Advocate. The person must have been practising in law courts for at least 7 years. And the age limit of the candidate is between 35 years to 45 years.
· Syllabus: Syllabus of HJS consists of Civil Law, Indian Penal Code (IPC), Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), Constitutional Law, Property Law, and Code of Civil Procedure (CPC), etc.
The eligibility criteria and syllabus for LJS are the following:
· Eligibility Criteria: He/ she must have a 3-year or 5-year integrated LLB degree. And must be fluent in the regional language. And the age limit of the candidate is between 21 years to 35 years.
· Syllabus: The syllabus of LJS is the same as the above-mentioned HJS syllabus.
3 Ways of Promotion of a Judge in India
The 3 ways of promoting a judge in India are the following:
1. Regular Promotion: Regular promotions usually have a 65% quota and in this kind of promotion Civil Judges are promoted to the District Judges.
2. Direct Recruitment: This kind of promotion usually has a 35% quota. After clearing all the 3 stages of HJS along with viva voice direct recruitment is given to the candidates.
3. Accelerated Promotion: 10% of district judges are promoted through the accelerated promotion. All the Civil Judges who want to be promoted to District Judges need to appear in the HJS exam and then they are hired through accelerated promotion.
Hierarchy of Judges in different courts
- District Courts: Judges in district courts need to take care of all the judicial matters. These courts are controlled judicially and administratively by the high courts.
- High Courts: The high courts have the authority over the states where they are based. The decisions of high courts are binding on all the lower courts of the State based on its jurisdiction.
- Supreme Court: The Supreme Court has advisory authority. The Supreme Court ruling is binding on all courts as well as tribunals in India and it serves as a priority for all the lower courts.
Skills Required to be a Judge
An ideal judge must have an outstanding nature and spirit. And he must learn to work under pressure. The most essential skills that a judge must have been
· Excellent logical reasoning,
· Public speaking,
· Debating skills,
· Writing Skills
· Quick decision making,
· Empathy
· Ability to analyse in-depth cases and then give a reasonable decision.
· They also must possess personal skills, for instance, commitment, honesty, self-confidence, etc.
Salary of a Judge
The salary of a judge depends on the type and the position. The starting salary of a district-level judge is INR 1,00,000 per month.
For an experienced judge, the salary ranges from INR 1,44,000- to INR 2,44,000 per month. And the average salary of a high court and supreme court judge is INR 2,50,000 per month.
Top 10 Law Colleges in India
The names of the top 10 Law Colleges in India are:
1. National Law School of India University, Bangalore
2. NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad
3. Jindal Global Law School, Sonipat
4. National Law University, New Delhi
5. Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law Indian Institute of Technology, IIT Kharagpur
6. National Law University, Jodhpur
7. Gujarat National Law University, Gujarat
8. The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata
9. Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh
10. Faculty of Law University of Delhi, New Delhi
Conclusions
In this blog, we have learned about how to become Judge in India. A judge rules on law cases and questions.
In India, to become a judge one needs to qualify in the Judicial Services Examination or the Provincial Civil Service- Judicial Examination.
After clearing prelims, mains, and viva one can become a judge in the Supreme Courts, High Courts, or the District Courts of India.
The average salary of a Judge in High Courts or Supreme Courts is INR 2,50,000 per annum.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Can we directly become a Judge in India?
Answer: Yes, you can directly become a Judge in India after clearing the Judicial Services Examination or the Provincial Civil Service Judicial Examination.
Q2. What are the steps to becoming a Judge in India?
Answer: He/ She must be a citizen of India, should possess LLB or LLM degree, the person must be an advocate in high courts for 10 years or worked in a judicial office in India for 10 years.
Q3. What is the salary of a Judge in India?
Answer: The salary of a judge depends on the type and the position. The starting salary of a district-level judge is INR 7,00,000 per annum.
For an experienced judge, the salary ranges from INR 1,44,000- to INR 2,44,000 per annum. And the average salary of a high court and supreme court judge is INR 2,50,000 per annum.
Q4. How can I become a Judge after 12th in India?
Answer: After completing the 12th, one needs to pursue a 5 year integrated Law degree to become a Judge in India.