HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA INVITES ONLINE APPLICATIONS FOR DIRECT RECRUITMENT TO 90 POSTS OF CIVIL JUDGES WHICH …

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, 16 , 2026 26 1948)

¨sÁUÀ – 5 Part – V

. 282 No. 282 HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA AT BENGALURU

NOTIFICATION

No. HCRB/CJR-9/2026, DATED: 16TH APRIL, 2026

DIRECT RECRUITMENT TO THE POST OF CIVIL JUDGE

LAST DATE FOR SUBMISSION OF ONLINE APPLICATIONS

15TH MAY, 2026

It is hereby notified that as per the provisions of the Karnataka Judicial Service (Recruitment) Rules, 2004 (Amendment) Rules, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2024 and 2025, the High Court of Karnataka invites online applications for direct recruitment to 90 posts (15 fresh and 75 Backlog) of Civil Judges.

This Notification is subject to the final outcome of Writ Petition No.200448/2025 c/w 17968/2025 and 3145/2023 pending before the Hon'ble High Court of Karnataka.

Category	Un-reserved	Women Candidate	Rural Candidate	Student Kannada Medium	Persons with benchmark disability	Ex-servicemen	Transgender	Total
General Merit	1	2	2 + 9*	-	1# + 2*	1	-	07 + 11*
Scheduled Caste	-	1	-	-	1# + 1*	-	-	02 + 01*
Scheduled Tribe	-	1	-	-	1*	-	-	01 + 01*

Classification of 90 posts (includes 75 backlog Posts) ↩

(1)2

Category - I	1*	7*	4*	2*	2*	2*	-	18*
Category - II(A)	1 + 3*	1+6*	7*	2*	1*	2*	1*	02 + 22*
Category - II(B)	1*	3*	1 + 5*	-	1*	-	-	01 + 10*
Category - III(A)	1*	3*	1 + 2*	1*	1*	-	-	01 + 08*
Category - III(B)	1 + 1*	-	2*	-	1*	-	-	01 + 04*
Total	3 + 7*	5 + 19*	4 + 29*	5*	2# + 10*	1 + 4*	1*	15 + 75*

Note:

1. The classification is made on the basis of Government Order No. DPAR 01 SeHiMa 2026 dated 27.02.2026.

2. (*) Indicates backlog posts.

3. (#) Indicates the classification of fresh vacancies for Persons with Benchmark Disability made as per the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (Central Act No.49 of 2016) and nature of disabilities is classified as per Government Order No. DPAR 149 SRR 2020 dated 25.09.2020, the details of which are as under:

Category	Horizontal Point	Nature of Disability
General Merit	P oint No.64 #	Autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disability and mental illness
		Multiple disabilities from amongst persons under clauses (a) to (d) including deaf-blindness in the posts identified for each disabilities
	Point No.4*	Blindness and low vision
	Point No.44*	Deaf and Hard of hearing
Scheduled Caste	Point No.24#	Locomotor disability including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victim and muscular dystrophy
	Point No.4*	Blindness and low vision
Scheduled Tribe	Point No.4*	Blindness and low vision
Category – I	1 Post*	One Arm (OA) / One Leg (OL) / Both Legs (BL)
	Point No.4*	Blindness and low vision
Category - II(A)	Point No.4*	Blindness and low vision
Category - II(B)	Point No.4*	Blindness and low vision
Category - III(A)	Point No.4*	Blindness and low vision
Category - III(B)	Point No.4*	Blindness and low vision

2. Scale of Pay:- Rs.77,840/- – 1,36,520/-

3. Method of Recruitment:-

Selection of candidates will be made in accordance with

a) The Karnataka Judicial Service (Recruitment) Rules, 2004 (Amendment) Rules, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2024 and 2025 and relevant orders / Notification / Circular issued by the Government of Karnataka from time to time.

b) Procedure for recruitment:- By direct recruitment on the basis of aggregate marks obtained in the Competitive Examination (Written Examination and Viva-voce) conducted by the High Court.

4. Qualification:

A. Direct Recruitment:-

i. Must be holder of a degree in law granted by a University established by law in India.

ii. As on the last date fixed for receipt of application,-

a) must be practicing as an advocate in the Supreme Court of India or High Courts or District and Trial Courts in the Country and must have so practiced continuously for a period of not less than three years; or must be working as a Public Prosecutor / Assistant Public Prosecutor / Government Counsel in full time employment of the Central Government or State Governments of the Country and must have so worked for a period of not less than three years

B. Age:-

i. The candidate applying to the post must not have completed:

a. Forty Five years of age in the case of candidates belonging to any of the Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes or Category-I of the Other Backward Classes;

b. Forty Three years of age in the case of candidates belonging to any of the Category II(A) or II(B) or III(A) or III(B) of Other Backward Classes; and

c. Forty years of age in the case of any other candidate.

ii. The maximum age limit is relaxed by three years in case of ex-servicemen candidates.

Note:- The Age relaxation is provided as per Government Order No.DPAR 262 SeNeNi 2025 dated 29.01.2026.

C. Competitive Examination:-

(1) The Competitive Examination for recruitment of Civil Judges shall consist of three stages i.e., (a) Preliminary Examination (b) Main Examination and (c) Viva-voce.

(a) Preliminary Examination:-

The Preliminary Examination will be conducted by way of Objective Type Question and Paper consisting of 100 marks and the syllabi for the said examination is as under:-

Part-A : Code of Civil Procedure, 1908;

Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881; Transfer of Property Act, 1882; Indian Contract Act, 1872; Specific Relief Act, 1963; Indian Constitution; and Karnataka Rent Act, 1999.

Part-B : Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 and

Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023; Indian Penal Code, 1860 and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023; and Indian Evidence Act, 1872 and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023;

Part-C : General knowledge – Test of reasoning

and mental ability.

(b) Main Examination:-

(i) Translation Paper (Maximum Marks 100)

There will be one translation paper and the candidates will be required to translate passages in English into Kannada and Kannada into English. The Passages will be from (1) Depositions (2) Judgments and (3) Documents.

(ii) Law Paper - I (Maximum Marks 100)

The Code of Civil Procedure, 1908;

The Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 and Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023;

The Indian Evidence Act, 1872 and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023;

Principles of Pleading and The Constitution of India.

(iii) Law Paper - II (Maximum Marks 100)

Framing of Issues and Writing of Judgments in Civil Cases.

(iv) Law Paper - III (Maximum Marks 100)

Framing of Charges and Writing of Judgments in Criminal Cases.

The candidate's General Knowledge, grasp of Principles of Law and suitability for appointment as Civil Judge will be tested.

(d) Computer Test (Maximum Marks 25)

The test of knowledge of computers shall carry maximum 25 marks and such marks secured by the candidate shall be considered for ascertaining the suitability and computer knowledge of the candidates and will not be aggregated to the total marks obtained in the Written Examination and Viva- voce.

Note: The candidates are permitted to write the Main Examination either in English or in Kannada.

(e) Eligibility for Preliminary Examination, Main Examination and Viva- voce.

(i) Minimum marks for pass in the Preliminary Examination is 50 for candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes or Persons with Benchmark Disability category and 60 for others.

(ii) From among the candidates who are eligible for written examination as per the clause (i) above, as far as may be, such number of candidates as is equal to 10 (ten) times the number of vacancies notified, having regard to the number of vacancies in each reserved category, selected in the order of merit, will be called for Written Examination.

(iii) Minimum marks for pass in each paper of the Written Examination is 40 for candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes or Persons with Benchmark Disability category and 50 for others.

(iv) From among the candidates who are eligible for Viva-voce as per the clause (iii) above, as far as may be, such number of candidates as is equal to 3 (three) times the number of vacancies notified, having regard to the number of vacancies in each reserved category, selected in the order of merit, will be called for Viva-voce.

(v) Minimum marks for pass in the Viva-voce shall be 20% marks for candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes or Persons with Benchmark Disability category and 25% marks for others.

Provided that no candidate who has secured less than the minimum marks specified above:

(i) in any paper of the Written Examination shall be eligible

for Viva - voce.

(ii) in any paper of the Written Examination or in Viva-voce shall be eligible for appointment as Civil Judge.

A candidate belonging to the Scheduled Castes / Scheduled Tribes / Persons with Benchmark Disability category has to secure the6 following minimum marks in the Preliminary Examination, Main Written Examination and Viva-voce in order to be considered for selection under General Category:

Preliminary Examination	60 Marks
Main Written Examination	50 Marks in each paper
Viva-voce	25 Marks

The candidate selected and appointed will be initially on probation for two years or for extended period, if necessary. Further, the candidates who are appointed to the post of Civil Judge pursuant to their selection through direct recruitment must compulsorily undergo training for a period of not less than one year before presiding the Court.

The candidate shall pass the Kannada Language Examination conducted by the Karnataka Public Service Commission in accordance with the Karnataka Civil Services (Services and Kannada Language Examinations) Rules, 1974.

6. Mode of applying online application and Payment of Fee:-

(a) The candidate shall ensure that he/she fulfills the eligibility criteria and other norms and while submitting online application and all the particulars furnished by the candidate are correct in all respects. The candidate shall read all the instructions carefully before submitting online application. The candidate shall apply by visiting the High Court of Karnataka website https://judiciary.karnataka.gov.in// Applications submitted by any other mode other than online will not be considered.

(b) Before final submission of the application by the candidate, it shall be ensured that the information furnished is correct in all respects and necessary fee is paid. After submission, application number will be generated which shall be preserved for future reference. A printout of the application shall also be taken for reference.

(d) While submitting application through online, the candidate shall make online payment of prescribed fee through State Bank of India (SBI) e-pay payment gateway. The fee can be paid through online mode only through Net Banking /Debit Card/Credit Card/UPI ID. It may be noted that fee once paid will not be returned under any circumstances.

(e) The applications which are not submitted within the last date and the applications to which the prescribed fee is not paid within the last date, such incomplete applications will be rejected.

The last date for submission of online application and payment of fee is 15.05.2026.

(f) Preliminary Examination Fee:

The candidate belonging to General Merit and Category- II(A)/II(B)/III(A)/III(B) shall remit fee of ₹1,000/- (One Thousand Rupees only). The candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes / Scheduled Tribes / Category-I / Persons with Benchmark Disability category shall remit fee of ₹500/- (Five Hundred Rupees only).

(g) Main Written Examination fee:

The candidates who are eligible to appear for the Main Written Examination shall remit the Main Written Examination Fee within the specified time which will be intimated in the official website of High Court of Karnataka.

The candidates belonging to General Merit and Category – II(A)/II(B)/III(A)/III(B) shall remit fee of ₹1500/- (One Thousand Five Hundred Rupees only). The candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes/ Scheduled Tribes/ Category-I/ Persons with Benchmark Disability category shall remit fee of ₹750/- (Seven Hundred and Fifty Rupees only).

To candidates who fail to remit the fee within such period of time will not be considered for Main Written Examination.

7. The guidelines relating to conducting the Examinations to the candidates belonging to Persons with Benchmark Disability category is at Appendix- 'I' of this Notification.

8. Other conditions:-

1. Practicing Certificate

a) Candidate must furnish a certificate stating that he/she is a practicing advocate as on the date of issue of such certificate indicating the length of continuous practice:

i. issued either by the Principal Judicial Officer of the Court in which the candidate is actually practicing or by an advocate of that Court having a minimum standing of ten years duly endorsed by the Principal Judicial Officer of such District or a Principal Judicial Officer at such a station, if he is practicing before the District and Trial Courts in the country.

ii. issued by an advocate who has a minimum standing of ten years, duly endorsed by an officer designated by Supreme Court of India / High Courts for this purpose, if the candidate is practicing before the Supreme Court of India / High Courts, as the case may be.

2. Candidate shall opt for the Place of Examination Centre for Preliminary Examination i.e., Bengaluru, Dharwad and Kalaburagi. The candidates shall note that the change of centre will not be permitted under any circumstances.

3. Candidate shall appear for the Preliminary Examination, Main Written Examination and Viva-voce on their own cost.

4. Candidate claiming reservations shall possess the certificates/ documents with regard to reservations as applicable at the time of submitting online8 application and produce the same whenever directed by the Selection Committee, without fail:-

i. Scheduled Caste / Scheduled Tribe / Category–I / II(A) / II(B) / III(A) / III(B) in the format as prescribed by the Government of Karnataka;

ii. For claiming reservation under the Persons with Benchmark Disability category, the candidate shall possess the certificate in the prescribed format issued by the Competent Authority. Such of the candidates shall also read the guidelines issued in this Notification;

iii. Certificate of release or discharge from the Armed Services under Ex-servicemen category;

iv. Rural category candidate should have studied from 1st to 10th standard in rural areas. The candidate shall possess Rural Study Certificate in the format prescribed by the Government of Karnataka in its G.O. No.DPAR 96 SRR 2005 dated 10.08.2005, duly attested by the Head Master of the School and countersigned by the concerned Block Education Officer (BEO).

v. General Merit candidate claiming reservation under Rural category shall also possess certificate in Form-1 obtained from concerned Tahsildar as per G.O. No. DPAR 8 SRR 2001 dated 13.02.2001, certifying that they do not fall under the Creamy Layer prescribed by Government of Karnataka;

vi. For claiming reservation under Kannada Medium category, the candidate shall possess certificate for having studied in Kannada Medium from 1st to 10th standard in prescribed format as per Government Notification No. DPAR 71 SRR 2001 dated 24.10.2002, duly attested by the Head Master of the School and countersigned by the concerned Block Education Officer (BEO);

vii. Candidates belonging to Transgender shall possess the Certificate issued by the Competent Authority as per Section 6 of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019.

5. Candidate shall furnish three certificates of character one from the Institution in which the candidate has studied LL.B, with study details and other two issued by the respectable persons in the society not being relative but well acquainted with the candidate at the time of document verification.

6. Candidate called for the document verification at the time of Viva-voce shall produce all relevant original documents along with three sets of self attested copies of the same with regard to Educational Qualification, SSLC or equivalent examination certificate as a proof of Date of Birth, ID/Address Proof, Marks cards of Degree, Law Degree, Convocation Certificates, Certificate of Practice, Caste, reservations claimed with regard to Rural / Persons with Benchmark Disability/ Ex–servicemen/ Kannada Medium and Transgenders etc., (as applicable) for verification.

9. Disqualification for Appointment:- No person shall be eligible for appointment to the service –

(a) unless he/she is a Citizen of India;

(b) if he/she is compulsorily retired, removed or dismissed from Judicial Service or from service in Government or Statutory or Local Authority or if a candidate after being selected as a Judicial Officer has been discharged from service during probationary period;

(c) if he/she has been convicted of an offence involving moral turpitude or who is or has been permanently debarred or disqualified by the High Court or the Union Public Service Commission or any State Public Service Commission from appearing for examinations or selections conducted by it or has been removed from its roll by any Bar Council;

(d) if any penalty or punishment has been imposed by the Bar Council or any Disciplinary Authority which in the opinion of Selecting Authority, makes the applicant unsuitable for a judicial post;

(e) if he/she directly or indirectly influences the Recruiting Authority by any means for his/her candidature;

(f) if the marital status of the candidate is bigamous.

10. On verification, at any time or at any stage of recruitment, if it is found that the information furnished by the candidate in the application is false or the candidate does not fulfill any of the eligibility criteria and/or that he/she has suppressed/twisted or truncated any material facts, his/her candidature will stand cancelled. If any of these shortcomings is found even after appointment, his/her appointment shall be liable to be terminated. Furnishing of wrong, incomplete or incorrect information would not only lead to disqualification but also liable for criminal prosecution for furnishing such information.

BY ORDER,

Sd/- (K.S. BHARATH KUMAR) REGISTRAR GENERAL AND SECRETARY, CIVIL JUDGES RECRUITMENT COMMITTEE, HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA, BENGALURU.

HCRB/CJR-9/2026

APPENDIX - I

GUIDELINES FOR CONDUCTING PRELIMINARY AND MAIN WRITTEN EXAMINATION FOR PERSONS WITH BENCHMARK DISABILITY FOR THE POST OF CIVIL JUDGE BY DIRECT RECRUITMENT:-

READ: (1) Government Order No. DPAR 272 SRR 2013 dated 11.02.2021 issued by Government of Karnataka.

******

The State Government after considering the Office Memorandum No. F.No.34-02/2015-DD-III dated 29.08.2018 issued by Government of India, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) issued Government order read at (1) above.

Keeping in view the Office Memorandum and Government Order read at (1) above, the following guidelines are framed for conducting Preliminary and Main Written Examination for persons with benchmark disability to the post of Civil Judge by Direct Recruitment.

1. The guidelines for conducting Preliminary / Main Written Examination for the post of Civil Judge by direct recruitment are applicable to the candidates with benchmark disability of Blindness, Locomotor, Cerebral Palsy and other categories of benchmark disabilities who have limitation in writing including that of speed.

2. In the Section 2(r) of the Rights of Person with Disability Act, 2016 (hereinafter referred to as 'RPwD Act, 2016'), "Person with benchmark disability" is defined as quoted below:

(r)" person with benchmark disability means a person with not less than forty per cent, of a specified disability where specified disability has not been defined in measurable terms and includes a person with disability where specified disability has been identified in measurable terms, as certified by the certifying authority."

In addition to that in the Section 2 (zc) of the Act, 2016, "specified disability" is defined as quoted below:

"(zc) "Specified disability "means the disabilities as specified in the schedule."

3. The facility of Scribe / Reader will be allowed to any persons with benchmark disabilities as defined under section 2(r) of the RPwD,11 2016 and has physical limitation in writing including that of speed and in the category of visual impairment, loco-motor disability (both Arms affected – BA), Cerebral Palsy, if so desired by candidate.

4. In case of other category of candidate with benchmark disabilities, the provision of scribe / reader will be allowed on production of a certificate to the effect that the person concerned has physical limitation to write, from the Medical Board as per G.O. No. DPAR 272 SRR 2013 dated 11.02.2021 (Annexure – 1).

5. The appointing authority will prepare list of scribes amongst the employees of High Court of Karnataka so as to enable the candidates to avail the facility of scribes. The candidates will be allowed to meet the scribe two days before the examination so that the candidates get a chance to check and verify whether the scribe is suitable to him / her or not.

6. The qualification of the scribe shall not be more than the minimum qualification criteria of the examination. However, the qualification of the scribe / reader shall always be matriculate or above.

7. The candidate will be allowed to change the scribe / reader in case of emergency. The candidates shall also be allowed to take more than one scribe / reader for writing different papers. However, there can be only one scribe per subject.

8. Persons with benchmark disabilities should be given, as far as possible, the option of choosing the mode for taking the examinations i.e., only in Braille or screen reader or in large print or even by recording the answers as the examining bodies can easily make use of technology to convert question paper in large prints, e-text or Braille and can also convert Braille text in English or regional languages.

9. The Candidate with Benchmark disability or Specified Disability shall submit the Disability Certificate for claiming reservation with regard to disability along with other necessary documents at the time of submitting application for recruitment.

10. The compensatory time of 20 minutes per every hour of examination will be provided to the candidates who are allowed to take the facility of the scribe. For all the candidates with the Benchmark Disability who are not availing the facility of scribe will be allowed an extra additional time of 1 hour for an examination of 3 hours duration.

11. Proper seating arrangement preferably on the ground floor, will be made prior to the commencement of examination to avoid confusion or distraction on the day of the exam. The time of giving12 the question papers shall be marked accurately and timely supply of supplementary papers will be ensured.

12. An Admission Card will be issued by the Appointing Authority to the scribe provided to the candidate. The details and the photograph of the scribe should be affixed on the Admission Card.

13. The conversation between the scribe and the candidates should not disturb other candidates and maintain peace in the examination hall.

14. The scribe chosen by the candidate from the list as in Clause (5) shall maintain utmost integrity throughout the process.

15. The candidates appearing for the medical examination are not eligible for any Traveling allowance / Daily allowance.

16. The candidates will be allowed to use assistive device i.e., Braille slate.

17. The disability certificate provided by the certifying Authorities in any part of the country under rules constituted as per the Act of 2016 and its provisions will be considered after verifying its authenticity.

Sd/-

(K.S. BHARATH KUMAR) REGISTRAR GENERAL AND SECRETARY, CIVIL JUDGES RECRUITMENT COMMITTEE, HIGH COURT OF KARNATAKA, BENGALURU.

R.N.I. No. KARBIL/2001/47147 POSTAL REGN. No. RNP/KA/BGS/2202/2017-19

Licensed to post without prepayment WPP No. 29713

Annexure - I

(As per Paragraph 05 of the Government Order No: DPAR 272 SRR 2013 Dated: 11/02/2021)

Certificate regarding physical limitation of an examinee to write.

(Excluding the candidates with the following benchmark disabilities: blindness, locomotors disability (Both arms affected) and Cerebral Palsy)

This is to certify that the Medical Board has examined Mr./Ms/Mrs.

_____________ (name of the candidate with disability), a person with __________________ (nature and percentage of disability as mentioned in the certificate of disability) S/o/ D/o______________ a resident of _____________ (Village/ District/ State) and state that he / she has Physical Limitations which hampers his/her writing capabilities owing to his/her disability.

(Signature)

Chairman and Member, Medical Board

Place: Date: