Junior Civil Judge Telangana

JCJ Telangana is the common name for recruitment to the post of Civil Judge (Junior Division) in the Telangana State Judicial Service. The Telangana High Court conducts it, not the state public service commission, and it fills posts both by direct recruitment from the Bar and by transfer from eligible court and government staff. The latest cycle was notified on 1 December 2025 as Notification No. 45/2025-RC for 94 posts.

This page gives you the key facts from that official notification: dates, vacancies, eligibility, exam stages, syllabus, selection rules and pay scale. It also shows where the 2025 cycle stands today. The written exam and viva voce are over, and the High Court published a provisional selection list on 15 October 2026.

Table of Contents

JCJ Telangana

Notification overview

The High Court invited online applications for 66 posts under direct recruitment and 28 under recruitment by transfer. Both figures include vacancies carried forward from 2024. The recruitment follows the Telangana State Judicial (Service and Cadre) Rules, 2023.

Three points from the notification matter most to a first-time reader:

• Practice is compulsory: direct recruitment candidates need three years of practice at the Bar. This is not an exam for fresh law graduates.

• The screening test only shortlists: its marks are not added to the written exam marks or to final merit.

• Telugu matters: candidates must be able to read, speak and write Telugu fluently, and Paper III tests Telugu translation.

The High Court reserves the right to increase or decrease vacancies, or cancel the notification at any stage. A separate vacancy notice dated 30 January 2026 (No. 27/2026-RC) reported nil vacancies for the year 2026, so no new notification was due on that basis at the time. The previous cycle was Notification No. 87/2024-RC dated 10 April 2024 for 150 posts.

Important dates

Every date in this table has already happened. The original schedule in the notification was only tentative and placed the screening test in February 2026, and it was held on 8 March 2026. Dates for any future cycle can change, so track the recruitment section of tshc.gov.in.

Vacancy details

The notification gives these category-wise posts.

Direct recruitment (66 posts)

Recruitment by transfer (28 posts)

Reservation for women follows horizontal reservation, and reservation for BC-E depends on the result of a pending Supreme Court appeal. Candidates whose caste is not recognised in Telangana for the relevant category are treated as Open Competition candidates.

Eligibility

Educational qualification and practice

For direct recruitment you need a Law degree from a university in India established under a Central or State Act, or from an institution recognised by the UGC. You must also be enrolled as an advocate and have practised in the Telangana High Court or the courts under its control for at least three years as on 1 December 2025. Experience as a law clerk or research assistant (law) with a judge counts towards the three years.

Age limit

Other conditions

Candidates must be Indian citizens of good character, and must be able to read, speak and write Telugu fluently. Recruitment by transfer is open only to confirmed members or approved probationers of listed court and government posts who have not completed 48 years of age on 1 December 2025.

Application fee and how to apply

Applications were accepted only online through the High Court website. Handwritten, typed, photocopied or posted forms were not entertained. For a future cycle, expect the same pattern:

1. Open the recruitment section of tshc.gov.in and read the full notification.

2. Register and fill in the online application.

3. Choose your preferred screening test centres. The 2025 cycle offered Hyderabad, Warangal, Karimnagar and Khammam, and candidates opted for three in order of preference.

4. Pay the fee online and submit before the closing time.

A false or suppressed detail found at any later stage can lead to action under law, so check every entry before you submit.

Exam pattern

Selection has three stages. The screening test is a computer based test, the written examination has three papers, and the final stage is a viva voce.

Final merit is based on Papers I and II plus the viva voce. That makes 230 marks. The screening test and Paper III do not add to it, but you must clear both. Older pages may still describe a different scheme, so follow the official notification.

Syllabus summary

The High Court publishes the syllabus as a list of Acts, and the same list covers the screening test and the written papers.

The criminal list names both the new Sanhitas and the older Penal Code, Procedure Code and Evidence Act. Prepare both until the High Court says otherwise.

Selection process

1. Screening test: candidates scoring 40% or more are shortlisted in the ratio of 1:10 of the vacancies for the written exam. Candidates with identical marks are all called.

2. Written examination: to be called for the viva voce, candidates must score at least 60% in each of Papers I and II (Open and EWS), 55% (Backward Classes including EBC) or 50% (SC, ST and persons with disability). They are called in the ratio of 1:3 of the vacancies.

3. Viva voce: 30 marks. SC, ST and persons with disability need at least 40%, and all others need at least 50%.

4. Final merit: aggregate of Papers I and II and the viva voce.

Appointed candidates train for one year at the Telangana State Judicial Academy before presiding in a court, and serve a probation of two years within a continuous period of three years.

Salary and career

The notification gives the scale of pay for Civil Judge (Junior Division) as Rs. 77,840 to Rs. 1,36,520, under the revised pay scales that took effect from 1 January 2016. The notification does not state in-hand salary or allowances, and those depend on the rules in force at the time of joining.

The post is the entry level of the Telangana State Judicial Service. Probationers complete academy training and probation before confirmation.

How to prepare

Plan your preparation around the three scored stages and the qualifying paper.

• Screening test: practise 100 questions in 2 hours across civil and criminal laws. Accuracy matters because 40% is only the minimum, and the shortlist is a rank cut.

• Written papers: the 60% bar in Papers I and II is demanding. Practise writing answers to time, using section numbers, case law and clear structure.

• English paper: work on English to Telugu and Telugu to English translation, a legal essay, grammar and vocabulary every week. It is qualifying, but a failure in any part ends your attempt.

• Viva voce: the panel judges knowledge of law, clear exposition, communication and ethics, so practise explaining a legal position aloud.

Cut-off reference

The High Court has not published a single cut-off score for this cycle. It publishes qualifying percentages and lists of hall ticket numbers who move to the next stage. The screening test minimum is 40%, and the written exam minimums are 60%, 55% and 50% by category.

Always confirm details on the official site, tshc.gov.in, which hosts the notification and every update.