JCJ Telangana Syllabus: Civil Laws, Criminal Laws and English
The JCJ Telangana syllabus is published by the Telangana High Court inside Notification No. 45/2025-RC, dated 1 December 2025, for recruitment of Civil Judge (Junior Division). Unlike many exams, it is an act-wise list, so you know exactly which statutes can be asked. The same list applies to the screening test and to the written examination.
This page lays out that list paper by paper, flags the subjects that deserve more time, and gives a phased plan to cover it. Each Act is to be read "as amended from time to time", which means recent amendments are in scope.
Table of Contents
Syllabus at a glance
Key changes to know
Paper I: Civil Laws
Paper II: Criminal Laws
Paper III: English
Overlap between papers
Viva voce
How to cover the syllabus
Syllabus at a glance
Stage | Section | Questions or marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
Screening test | Civil Laws and Criminal Laws (and English, as per the notification's syllabus statement) | 100 multiple choice questions, 100 marks | 2 hours |
Paper I | Civil Laws | 100 marks | 3 hours |
Paper II | Criminal Laws | 100 marks | 3 hours |
Paper III | English (translation, essay, grammar, vocabulary) | 100 marks, qualifying | 3 hours |
The notification says the syllabus for the screening test and written examination is the Civil Laws and Criminal Laws list below, and that English is tested in the written stage. For marks, qualifying rules and timing.
Key changes to know
New criminal codes are listed: the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) are named in the Criminal Laws syllabus.
Older criminal laws are still named: the Indian Penal Code, 1860, Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 and Indian Evidence Act, 1872 also appear. Prepare both sets and compare the provisions section by section.
Telangana statutes appear: the Land Encroachment Act, Buildings (Lease, Rent and Eviction) Control Act, Prohibition Act, Excise Act and Gaming Act are state laws that general law books may skip.
Commercial courts are included: the Commercial Courts Act, 2015 is part of Civil Laws.
Older pages may still show an older list, so follow the official notification.
Paper I: Civil Laws
The notification lists 16 items for Civil Laws.
Area | Topics to cover | Start with |
|---|---|---|
Procedure | Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 with Civil Rules of Practice, 1990; Limitation Act, 1963; Commercial Courts Act, 2015 | Code of Civil Procedure, the base for most civil questions |
Evidence | Indian Evidence Act, 1872 | Relevancy, admissions, burden of proof and witnesses |
Contracts and property | Indian Contract Act, 1872 and Sale of Goods Act; Transfer of Property Act, 1882; Indian Easements Act, 1882; Specific Relief Act, 1963; Indian Stamp Act, 1899 and Registration Act, 1908 | Transfer of Property Act and Specific Relief Act |
Family and succession | Hindu Succession Act, 1956; Hindu Marriage Act, 1955; Indian Succession Act, 1925; laws on Hindu adoption, guardianship and maintenance | Hindu Succession Act and Hindu Marriage Act |
Legal aid | Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 | Structure and functions of the authorities |
Telangana laws | Telangana Land Encroachment Act, 1905; Telangana Buildings (Lease, Rent and Eviction) Control Act, 1960 | Bare Acts, read once and revised often |
The Code of Civil Procedure, Transfer of Property Act, Contract Act, Specific Relief Act and Evidence Act carry most weight in practice, because they are central to day to day civil trial work. This is our reading of the syllabus, not an official weightage.
Paper II: Criminal Laws
The notification lists 18 items for Criminal Laws.
Area | Topics to cover | Start with |
|---|---|---|
Core codes | Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita; Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita; Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam; Indian Penal Code, 1860; Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973; Indian Evidence Act, 1872; Criminal Rules of Practice, 1990 | BNSS procedure and BNS offences, with a comparison note against the older codes |
Cheque cases | Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 (Sections 138 to 148-A) | Ingredients of Section 138 and the compounding and appeal provisions |
Women and children | Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005; Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act, 2012; Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015; Immoral Traffic Prevention Act, 1956 | POCSO and the Juvenile Justice Act |
Health and security | Mental Health Care Act, 2017; Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 | Key definitions and procedures |
State and special laws | Telangana Prohibition Act, 1995; Telangana Excise Act, 1968; Telangana Gaming Act, 1974; forest laws in Telangana State and the Wild Life Protection Act, 1972 | Offences, search and seizure and penalties |
The procedure code and the substantive criminal code should get the largest share of your time, followed by the Negotiable Instruments Act sections and the child and women protection laws. Again, this is our reading and not an official weightage.
Paper III: English
Paper III is divided into two parts and is qualifying only.
Part | Marks | What is tested |
|---|---|---|
Part I | 30 | Translation from English to Telugu and from Telugu to English, to test proficiency in Telugu |
Part II | 70 | Essay writing on legal subjects only, grammar and vocabulary |
The notification does not publish a topic list for grammar or vocabulary. Prepare standard areas such as tenses, articles, prepositions, sentence correction, legal vocabulary and Latin maxims, and treat these as a working checklist, not an official list. Answers are written in English, except the English to Telugu translation.
Overlap between papers
Area | Paper I | Paper II | How to plan |
|---|---|---|---|
Evidence law | Indian Evidence Act, 1872 | Indian Evidence Act, 1872 and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam | Study once, then add a civil and criminal example for each concept |
Procedure | Code of Civil Procedure | BNSS and Code of Criminal Procedure | Keep separate notes, but compare how trial, appeal and revision work in each |
Rules of practice | Civil Rules of Practice, 1990 | Criminal Rules of Practice, 1990 | Revise together in the last month |
Viva voce
There is no separate syllabus for the 30-mark viva voce. The notification states the aim as judging suitability through mental alertness, knowledge of law, clear and logical exposition, balance of judgment, attitude, ethics, communication, character and intellectual depth. Candidates are tested in Civil and Criminal Laws apart from English, so the written syllabus is also your viva syllabus.
How to cover the syllabus
Weeks 1 to 8, foundation: read the Code of Civil Procedure, BNSS, BNS and Evidence law from bare Acts, and make short notes for each Act.
Weeks 9 to 14, property, contract and special laws: cover the remaining civil Acts, Hindu personal laws, and the special criminal laws with state Acts.
Weeks 15 to 18, English paper: start weekly translation, legal essay and grammar practice, and keep it going to the exam.
Weeks 19 to 22, timed practice: take topic-wise tests, then full-length timed tests in the screening test format.
Final phase, revision: write full answers to time for Papers I and II, revise your error log and recent amendments, and rehearse viva answers aloud.
The official notification is on the Telangana High Court website.
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