How to Become a Judge in India: Career Guide, Courses, After 12th, Eligibility, Entrance Exams, Jobs, Salary

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Becoming a judge is a prestigious and challenging career path that requires dedication, hard work and education. Aspiring judges are needed to go through a rigorous process that tests their knowledge of the law, judicial reasoning and decision-making abilities. The eligibility criteria to become a Judge in India include candidates having cleared their 10+2 with an average aggregate score of 60% followed by pursuing a bachelor’s degree such as BA LLB or LLB. Candidates are also expected to have a strong educational background with several years of experience. Admissions across any top law colleges such as NLSIU, NLU, MIT WPU and NALSAR are done on the basis of law entrance exams such as CLAT, LSAT and AILET. The average Salary of a Judge in India ranges between INR 13 LPA - 17 LPA.

Table of Content

How to Become a Judge: Quick Facts
What does a Judge do
Steps to Become a Judge
Eligibility to Become a Judge
Qualifications to Become a Judge
How to Become a Judge in India

6.1 How to Become a Judge After 12^th

6.2 How to Become a Supreme Court Judge

6.3 How to Become a High Court Judge

6.4 How to Become a District Court Judge

Law Courses

7.1 Law Entrance Exams

Judiciary Exams

8.1 Lower Judicial Service Exams

8.2 Higher Judicial Service Exams

Top Law Colleges in India
Skills Required to Become a Judge
Benefits of Becoming a Judge
Salary of a Judge
How to Become a Judge: FAQs

How to Become a Judge: Quick Facts

Eligibility	Citizen of India Must have an LLB/LLM degree from a recognised university (Lower Judicial Services - LJS) Should be practising in court for 7 straight years (Higher Judicial Services - HJS) Candidates should practise as an advocate of the High Court for 10 years (High Court Judge) Finally they should have practised as Judges in the High Court for 5 years or (Supreme Court Judge)
Required Skills	Impartial and Unbiased Cultural Awareness and Tolerance Compassion and Humility Emotional Intelligence
Starting Salary (INR)	5.43 LPA
Average Salary (INR)	24 LPA
Highest Salary (INR)	33.6 LPA

Read More:

How to Become a Judge after 12^th	How to Become a Civil Judge	Judge Jobs

What does a Judge do?

Being the head of the Indian Judicial system there are a lot of responsibilities that come as duties and prerogatives of a Judge. Some of the crucial duties that a judge performs are listed below

While delivering justice, the first and foremost responsibility of a Judge is to be impartial and his decisions should never be biased towards his friends or acquaintances.
A judge should be patient enough to hear a case. A judge should allow an advocate or a party to present their whole case and should not stop them mid-way.
They should have a receptive mind. A judge should never reach the conclusion of a case without hearing both the defendant and the prosecutor.
A judge should have any sort of interruption within the counsel in their arguments as well as in the examination of the witness. Read: What does a Lawyer do?

Steps to Become a Judge

Becoming a Judge in India requires multiple steps that should be taken up, starting from clearing class 12, earning a graduate degree, qualifying exams and starting practice. The process also varies on the basis of LJS, HJS, High Court and Supreme Court. The steps to becoming a judge in India are explained in the following points.

Earn a Bachelor’s Degree: After clearing class 12, students are required to earn a bachelor’s degree to continue their progress towards becoming a judge. The degree can be in any discipline irrespective of any criterion. CLAT, SET, SLAT, AILET, TS LAWCET, MHT CET and JMI BA LLB are some of the top entrance exams for admissions into UG law courses.
Enrol in a Law School: Students are required to enrol in law schools to earn an LLB degree. An LLB degree is important to work as a judge in India. Colleges also offer 5 years integrated LLB programs in which students do not have to pursue a graduate and LLB degree separately.
Qualify for Judicial Service Exams: In order to start working as a judge and become a practising member of the subordinate judiciary, students have to clear the PCS (J) (Provincial Civil Service Judicial) exam.
- After qualifying PCS (J) exam, students can apply for Higher Judicial Service (HJS) and Lower Judicial Service (LJS) exams for positions as District and Civil Judges. With enough experience and expertise matching the eligibility criteria, professionals can also apply for High Court and Supreme Court judge positions.
Start Practising as a Lawyer: After clearing all the steps, students can start practising as judges and offer their services and judicial expertise to people in need.

Eligibility to Become a Judge

Being the highest authority in the country, the judiciary system has its own eligibility criteria that must be fulfilled for a hassle-free process. To become a judge, students must be citizens of India and possess a graduate degree. They also need to clear judicial service exams and earn an LLB degree to start practising. They can also opt for a master’s degree like LLM.

The standard eligibility criteria to become a judge in India are explained in the following points -

Nationality: In order to practice judiciary in India, students have to be a citizen of India.
Education: Students need to have an LLB degree or integrated LLB degree to be a judge in the country.
Age Limit: The exact age limit vary depending on the different states. Students are needed to be between 21 to 35 years of age. Age relaxation is provided to students from backward classes as per government norms.
Experience: Lower Judicial Services only requires students to have a law degree. For higher judicial services, students need to be practising in court for 7 continuous years. The experience and expertise level increase for High Court and Supreme Court.
Language: Judges are required to have proficiency in the language in which the court operates.

Read Eligibility to Become a Lawyer

Qualifications to Become a Judge

To become a judge in India, students first need to obtain a graduate degree in any discipline. After obtaining the degree they have to apply for judicial service examinations like CLAT, LSAT, AILET, etc to obtain a LLB degree. Upon obtaining an LLB degree, they can start practising or go for a master’s degree.

Graduate Degree: The initial requirement to become a judge in India is to have a graduate degree in any discipline from a recognised university.
Law Degree: The most important qualification is to have a law degree from a recognised university. Students can enrol for a LLB degree or an integrated LLB degree.
Judicial Service Exam: Students need to clear the judicial service exam or PCS (J) (Provincial Civil Service Judicial) exam to start working as judges in courts. The eligibility criteria may vary depending on the state.
Experience: For higher judicial services, professionals need to work for more than 7 years as an advocate. 10 years of advocacy in the High Court is needed to work in the High Court. For Supreme Court, the working experience is 10 years as an advocate in the High Court.

How to Become a Judge in India

It is advised to start preparing for the profession at the school level. There are many steps that have to be followed to become a judge in India.

School Preparation: There are no specific subjects that a student can take in school focusing on becoming a judge. Students from any stream can apply for law courses. Students can take up entry-level certificate courses and participate in competitions featuring judicial system topics to gain knowledge about the profession.

How to Become a Judge After 12^th

At the UG level, students only have to get a degree in any stream to become eligible for law courses. There are many graduate-level law courses for which students can apply after getting a UG degree. After completing a UG degree, students also have the option to go for higher PG studies.

UG Preparation: LLB and Integrated LLB with BA LLB, BCom LLB, BSc LLB and BBA LLB are some of the top law courses that can be pursued at the UG level. Students have to appear in entrance exams to get admission onto most of these courses.
PG Preparation: Students can pursue LLM after completing their UG degree in law. There are many colleges that offer LLM courses in the country, whose admission is also done on the basis of entrance exams.

How to Become a Supreme Court Judge

To become a judge at the Supreme Court, candidates are required to serve as a judge in the High Court for a minimum of 5 years or a High Court Advocate for 10 years. The candidate must be a citizen of India with LLB or LLM qualifications. The upper age limit to get appointed as a Supreme Court judge in India is 65 years.

How to Become a High Court Judge

To become a High Court Judge, candidates are required to hold a judicial office for 10 years or must be a High Court Advocate for 10 years. The candidates must be citizens of India with LLB or LLM qualifications. There is no minimum age defined in the constitution to become a judge in the High Court.

How to Become a District Court Judge

To become a district court judge, candidates are needed to spend seven years as an advocate or a pleader and need to be already employed by the State or Union governments. The age limit for district judges varies from state to state. The High Court propose the candidate for his appointment as a district court judge.

Law Courses

LLB is the main course that every student aspiring to be a judge has to pursue in India. Other law courses include integrated BA LLB, BCom LLB, BSc LLB, BBA LLB etc. Students can opt for integrated courses in which they do not have to pursue a bachelor’s degree and a law degree separately. Students can also apply for postgraduate LLM courses after the completion of LLB.

The details for some of the popular courses are mentioned in the following table.

Parameters	LLB	BA LLB	BCom LLB
Eligibility Criteria	Class 12 and Graduate in any stream with minimum 45% marks	Class 12 with 50%	Class 12 with 55%
Entrance Exams	CLAT, SET, AP LAWCET, TS LAWCET	AILET, SLAT, CLAT, LSAT, JMI BA LLB	CLAT. TS LAWCET, AP LAWCET, SET, MHT CET
Top Colleges	NLSUI, NLU, MIT-WPU, NALSAR	NLSUI, NLU, NALSAR	NLSUI, NLU, NALSAR
Average Course Fees (INR)	INR 2.5 LPA - INR 4 LPA	INR 1.5 LPA - INR 15 LPA	INR 1.6 LPA - INR 2.50 LPA
Average Salary (INR)	INR 4 LPA - INR 6 LPA	INR 3 LPA - INR 6 LPA	INR 2 LPA - INR 3 LPA

Law Entrance Exams

Students can appear in many law entrance exams in India to get admissions into LLB and integrated LLB courses. Details for some of the top entrance exams are mentioned in the following table.

Entrance Exams	Application Deadlines	Admit Card	Exams	Results
CLAT	July 1 – November 3, 2023	November 2023	December 3, 2023	December 10, 2023
LSAT	May 26, 2023	April 17, 2023	June 8, 2023 - June 11, 2023	June 24, 2023
AILET	August 7 – November 13, 2023	TBA	December 10, 2023	December 13, 2023

Judiciary Exams

The Judiciary exam is commonly known as the Judicial Service Examination or the Provincial Civil Service - Judicial Examination (PCS-J) in India. It is an entry-level exam for law graduates to become practising members of the subordinate judiciary. It is conducted by the State Public Service Commissions or the High Courts of the respective states.

Lower Judicial Service Exams

Education	Experience	Age Limit	Exam Stages
LLB/Integrated LLB	Working as an advocate/Qualified to be one under the Advocates’ Act 1961	21 to 35 years	Prelims and Mains

Higher Judicial Service Exams

Education	Experience	Exam Stages
LLB/Integrated LLB	7 years	Prelims, Mains and Personal Interview

Top Law Colleges in India

India has many colleges providing quality law education to students. NLSIU, NLU and MIT-WPU are some of the top law colleges. The details for top law colleges are mentioned in the table below.

Name of the Colleges	Location	Average Course Fees
National Law School of India University	Bangalore	INR 1.5 L
National Law University	Delhi	INR 1.38 L
MIT World Peace University	Pune	INR 2.45 L
NALSAR University of Law	Hyderabad	INR 3.34 L
LPU Jalandhar	Jalandhar	INR 4.32 L
IIT Kharagpur	Kharagpur	INR 1.63 L
Parul University	Vadodara	INR 1.20 L
National Law University	Jodhpur	INR 1.99 L
Symbiosis Law School	Pune	INR 1.80 L

Skills Required to Become a Judge

Becoming a judge is a highly respected profession that requires a unique set of skills and qualifications. They have to possess skills that help them in their everyday roles. Some of the top skills that a judge should possess are mentioned in the table below.

Legal Expertsies	Analytical skills	Communication skills
Interpersonal skills	Impartiality	Judicial Temperament
Integrity	Logic sense	Reasoning skills

Benefits of Becoming a Judge

Becoming a judge is a rewarding career path that offers a wide range of benefits. Some of the benefits of becoming a judge include:

Job Security - Judges are selected to serve for a specific term or until they retire. Thus, providing a high level of job safety.
Competitive Salary - Judges typically are well paid with many receiving six-figure salaries providing a comfortable living and financial security.
Retirement Benefits - Judges often receive many retirement benefits like pensions and healthcare aids.
Positive Impact on Society - Judges play a critical role in upholding the rule of law and protecting rights leaving a good impact on society.
Intellectual Stimulation - The role is intellectually challenging requiring a deep understanding of legal issues with the ability to make sound decisions.
Public Service - Judges give back to the community and make a difference in the lives of people.

Salary of a Judge

The average that a judge receives at the start of his/her career is INR 5.43 LPA. The salary of a judge in India is affected by a number of factors. A High Court judge earns around INR 6 LPA to INR 8.7 LPA. The Supreme Court judge earns INR 12.20 LPA in India. The salaries of judges according to different positions are mentioned in the following table.

Position	Average Salary (INR)
Junior Civil Judge	27,700 – 47,700
Junior Civil Judge (After 5 years of service)	33,090 – 45,850
Junior Civil Judge (Ist career progression after 5 years or during the IInd career progression)	39,530 – 54,010
Senior Civil Judge	39,530 – 54,010
Senior Civil Judge (After 5 years of service)	43,690 – 56,470
Senior Civil Judge (Ist career progression after 5 years)	43,690 – 56,470
District Judge	51,550 – 63,070
District Judge (Selection Grade after 5 years of Entry Grade)	57,700 – 70,290
District Judge (3 years after selection grade)	70,290 – 76,450

How to Become a Judge: FAQs

Ques. What qualifications are required to become a Judge?

Ans. The qualification varies depending on the jurisdiction and the court type. In general, judges are required to have a law degree and a license to practice law. Some courts may also require additional qualifications.

Ques. How long does it take to become a judge?

Ans. Becoming a judge requires years of education, dedication and experience in the legal profession. It can take many years to gain the necessary experience to be considered for a judicial position.

Ques. How important is the law degree to becoming a judge?

Ans. A law degree is required to become a judge in India. It provides the necessary legal knowledge and skills to interpret and apply the law.

Ques. What qualities are important for becoming a successful judge?

Ans. A successful judge must showcase legal expertise, impartiality, integrity, analytical and communication skills. They must be able to make complex decisions based on evidence and arguments while remaining fair at all times.

Ques. How can I prepare to become a judge?

Ans. To become a judge, one should focus on gaining legal experience after completing the education. They must develop legal knowledge and skills and start building a professional network. This may involve working as a law clerk, pursuing advanced education or getting involved in legal organisations.

Ques. Name some top law courses that can be pursued to become a judge.

Ans. LLB, LLM and integrated BA LLB, BCom LLB, BSc LLB, BBA LLB etc are some of the courses that can be pursued to become a judge in India.

Ques. Name some top colleges for law education in India.

Ans. NLSIU Bangalore, NLU Delhi, MIT WPU Pune, NALSAR Hyderabad, etc are some of the top colleges for law education in India.

Ques. What is the eligibility for the BA LLB course?

Ans. To pursue BA LLB, candidates are required to clear class 12 from a recognised board with a minimum of 50% marks.

Ques. Which city is paying the most to its judges in India?

Ans. With an average annual salary of INR 7.55 LPA, Delhi is the best city for judges in India.

Ques. How much a Chief Justice of India is earning?

Ans. The average annual salary of the Chief Justice of India is between INR 21.47 LPA to INR 23 LPA.

Master of Laws [L.L.M.] : 3 answered questions

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Ques. How is LLM in Azim Premji University?

● Top Answer By Pravin Gaurav on 01 Feb 21

Ans. Azim Premji university is a private, non-profit institution with affiliation from UGC. It offers BA, MA, L.L.M, B.Sc. courses. A relative of mine who has been studying there has recommended the Institute based on its eligibility criteria, good placements and campus life. Admission and eligibility criteria - To be eligible for admission, students are expected to have passed LLB courses of 3 year or 5 year duration followed by a written test and interview. The L.L.M course at Azim Premji university is lucrative for its course structure, which sets it apart from others. A very significant part of the curriculum is the fieldwork component, which is a unique feature of APU. The fieldwork element plays a crucial role in providing a different perspective of the law, which students would have studied in theory. The typical structure of exams is also absent from the LLM course at APU. Instead, response papers are given to students with a deadline of 24 hours for submission of the paper. This new approach to the exam system at APU, helps the student to be more attentive towards the course curriculum, ensuring long term retention of the knowledge gained.The faculty of APU has been vouched for as one of the best, by many former students of the university, even considered better than other law schools of repute. Overall, APU is a very good university to do your LLM from. Everything at the university starting from campus life to placements will surely meet up to your expectations. This distinctive aspect of APU, makes it a different and a much better alternative to other universities following the traditional approach and also the National Law University(NLU).Read more

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Ques. What is the average package of NLSIU Bangalore after doing an LLM?

● Top Answer By Anurag Bindra on 13 Oct 21

Ans. As most of these LLM graduates start off on the academic side of things, the pay grade is equivalent to that mandated by the UGC for all institutions in all states. You can get a job role for an Assistant Professor or the likes. However, this does not stand true for Private Institutes that hire LLM graduates. They most times than not, do not pay more than the government institutes. But it all depends on your personal choice and the kind of work environment you would like to be in. You can always consult with the immediate batches to understand the current standings on the placement front. Connect with them one-to-one and you might get a better and clearer idea of what to expect. Read more

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Ques. How is the LLM program at Parul University, Vadodara?

● Top Answer By Nikhil Kankaria on 03 Nov 20

Ans. Parul University is one of the prestigious universities in western Gujarat providing major courses in the educational domain. It provides multidisciplinary courses that allow an individual to explore every aspect of practical courses provided. Masters in Law is one such program offered by the university to bring in more interest in various streams of law. It proves to give them an open forum for expressing opinions and learning at the same time. The details are as follows: Admission The university provides this course at INR 30000. It is a one year course and it accepts online application modes. The specializations offered are Criminal & Security Law, Environmental Law, Public Policy & Governance, Human Rights, Intellectual Rights, and International Law. Eligibility The candidate must have cleared 3 year LLB Programme after graduation or a 5-year Integrated Law Degree. Facilities Moot court facilities to nurture the practicality of the course. Legal Aid Clinic has been created to provide legal benefits to underprivileged classes. Interactive sessions with high court and supreme court judges. The university provides quite a large number of opportunities to its individuals to experience global options as well. The primary placements made are for the role: Public Prosecutor Company Secretary Attorney General Arbitrator Parul University can surely be a good option provided you are ready to align your goals with that of college. It has a track record of giving good placements in the field of law as it tries to facilitate a comprehensive understanding of the courses offered. It gives them the option to explore parliamentary debates and contests while strategically imparting the needed practical acumen to the students. It’s definitely a worth course as it is affordable but it is from a top-notch institute.Read more

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