Supreme Court Revises Three-Year Practice Mandate for Judicial Service Recruitment

Gist The Supreme Court of India has upheld its recent decision mandating a minimum three-year legal practice for entry into the judicial service, while modifying its implementation to prevent sudden hardship to aspirants. The Court introduced a transition window until March 2027 and allowed structured institutional training and supervised clerkships to count as equivalent to Bar practice. This ensures that incoming civil judges possess practical courtroom familiarity without abruptly disenfranchising recent law graduates who had prepared under the older eligibility rules. Background In 2002 , the Supreme Court removed the mandate for prior Bar practice, allowing fresh law graduates to directly apply for entry-level judicial services. In May 2025 , the top court reversed this decades-old stance, reinstating the rule that candidates must possess a minimum of three years of practice as an advocate before entering the service. Following the sudden reinstatement, aspirants filed review petitions which the Supreme Court agreed to hear in open court, leading to the current modification of how the restored rule will operate. Key Pointers The judgment is anchored in the functional necessity of courtroom…