Question 1

Only current, actively practicing lawyers can apply for the District Judge Bar quota.

Accepted Answer

The new ruling allows sitting lower court judges to apply, provided they had 7 years of legal practice before becoming a judge.

Question 2

In-service officers can now apply for the direct recruitment quota by combining their years of advocacy and their years as a judge to reach the 7-year mark.

Accepted Answer

They MUST have completed at least seven years exclusively as an advocate BEFORE joining the judicial service. Time spent as a judge cannot be counted towards the 7-year requirement.

Question 3

Consider the following statements regarding the appointment of District Judges in India:
1. Article 233 of the Constitution vests the power of appointment of District Judges in the Governor of the State in consultation with the High Court.
2. The time spent serving as a judicial magistrate can be combined with previous advocacy practice to meet the seven-year requirement under Article 233(2).
3. Sitting judicial officers are now eligible for the direct recruitment quota for District Judges if they meet the seven-year prior practice requirement.

How many of the above statements are correct?

Accepted Answer

(b) Only two — Statement 1 is correct as per Article 233(1). Statement 3 is correct as the Supreme Court recently overruled the Dheeraj Mor judgment to allow sitting officers to apply under the Bar quota. Statement 2 is incorrect because time spent discharging judicial functions cannot be equated or combined with practice as an advocate; the full 7 years of practice must have been completed as a lawyer prior to joining the service.

Question 4

Match List I (Constitutional Articles related to Subordinate Courts) with List II (Provisions) and select the correct answer using the code given below:

List I
A. Article 233
B. Article 234
C. Article 235
D. Article 236

List II
1. Control over subordinate courts vested in High Court
2. Interpretation of terms like 'District Judge' and 'judicial service'
3. Appointment of District Judges
4. Recruitment of persons other than District Judges to the judicial service

Accepted Answer

(a) A-3, B-4, C-1, D-2 — Article 233 deals with the appointment of District Judges. Article 234 deals with recruitment of persons other than district judges (e.g., Civil Judges). Article 235 vests administrative control over subordinate courts in the High Court. Article 236 provides the interpretation of terms like 'district judge'. Therefore, (a) is the correct matching.

Question 5

Assertion (A): Sitting judicial officers who have completed seven years of practice as advocates prior to joining the service can now apply for the 25 percent direct recruitment quota for District Judges.
Reason (R): The Supreme Court interpreted the phrase 'has been for not less than seven years an advocate' in Article 233(2) to strictly mean continuous present practice at the time of application.

Select the correct answer from the codes given below:

Accepted Answer

(c) Assertion (A) is true but Reason (R) is false — Assertion (A) is true as this is the core holding of the recent Constitution Bench judgment. Reason (R) is false because interpreting the phrase to mean 'continuous present practice' was exactly what the overruled 2020 Dheeraj Mor judgment did. The new judgment held that 'has been' refers to a historical fact of having practiced for seven years, not a requirement for present continuous practice.

SC Permits In-Service Officers for District Judge Bar Quota

SC Refers District Judge Appointment Quota to Constitution Bench