Odisha Superior Judicial Service — District Judge Direct Recruitment from the Bar

Basic eligibility paths

• ✓Under Rule 6(4) of the Orissa Superior Judicial Service and Orissa Judicial Service Rules, 2007, 25 per cent of District Judge posts are filled by direct recruitment from the Bar on the aggregate marks of a competitive examination conducted by the High Court.
• ✓Rule 9 requires a law graduate of a recognised University with not less than seven years' practice as an advocate on 1 April of the recruitment year, and an age of 35 to 45 years on the same date.
• ✓The maximum age is relaxed by five years for SC, ST, SEBC and women candidates and by ten years for persons with disabilities, and four per cent of the direct-recruitment vacancies are reserved for persons with benchmark physical disabilities under Rule 9-A(5).
• ✓Rule 11(2) requires the selected candidate to be found physically fit by the State Medical Board before final appointment.
• ✓These are the standing service rules. Confirm the cut-off date, reservation and category rules in the official current-cycle advertisement.

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. 1Written examination of three papers — Rule 10 read with Appendix B of the 2007 rules
2. 2Interview of 30 marks, for which candidates are called in a 1:10 ratio after scoring at least 45 per cent in each written paper and 50 per cent in the aggregate
3. 3Final merit list on the written test and interview, with a minimum of 40 per cent in the interview required for inclusion
4. 4Medical fitness before the Governor's appointment order

Syllabus snapshot

• Each of the three written papers carries 100 marks with a duration of two hours, under Appendix B of the Orissa Superior Judicial Service and Orissa Judicial Service Rules, 2007.
• Paper-1 — Code of Civil Procedure (30 marks), Personal Law (30 marks), and the Transfer of Property Act, Specific Relief Act, Limitation Act, law of contract, Odisha consolidation, estates-abolition and land-reforms statutes and motor accident claims law (40 marks).
• Paper-2 — Code of Criminal Procedure (30 marks), Indian Penal Code (30 marks), Indian Evidence Act (30 marks) and minor criminal statutes including the NDPS Act, Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, Prevention of Corruption Act, Essential Commodities Act, environmental statutes, the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989 and the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005 (10 marks).
• Paper-3 General English — translation from Odia to English and re-translation from English to Odia (10 marks each), a short essay of about 150 words (30 marks), précis writing of 300 words (30 marks) and a comprehension passage of up to 500 words with five questions (20 marks).
• Use the official current-cycle syllabus and scheme when it is published.