©
Regn.No. KERBIL/2012/45073 dated 05-09-2012 with RNI Reg No.KL/TV(N)/634/2021-2023 മകരള സർകാർ Government of Kerala 2026
മകരള ഗസറ്
KERALA GAZETTE
അസാധാരണം
EXTRAORDINARY
ആധികാരികാേയി ്പസിദറ്റപടുതുനത
PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY
തിരുവനനപുരം,
2026 ആഗസ് 07 07th August 2026
ചവളി
നർേ
1201 കർകടകം 22
No. 2253 വാലം 15 Vol. XV
22nd Karkadakam 1201 Thiruvananthapuram, Friday
1948 ്ശാവണം 16
16th Sravana 1948
GOVERNMENT OF KERALA
Home (C) Department .
NOTIFICATION
G. O. (P) No. 86/ 2026/ Home.
Dated, Thiruvananthapuram, 07 th August, 2026
S. R. O. No. 688/2026
22 nd Karkadakam,1201
16th Sravana, 1948.
In exercise of the powers conferred by Article 234 and 235 of the Constitution of India read with sub-section (1) of section 2 of the Kerala Public Services Act, 1968 (19 of 1968), the Governor of Kerala, in consultation with the High Court of Kerala, hereby makes the following rules further to amend the Special Rules in respect of
2the Kerala Judicial Service Rules, 1991, issued under G.O. (P)No. 190/91/Home dated the 31st December, 1991 and published as S.R.O. No.1621/91 in the Kerala Gazette Extraordinary No. 1518, dated the 31st December, 1991, namely:-
RULES
1. Short title and commencement.- (1) These Rules may be called the Kerala Judicial Service (Amendment) Rules, 2026.
(2) They shall come into force at once.
2. Amendment of the Rules.- In the Kerala Judicial Service Rules, 1991,-
(1) in rule 5, for sub rule (2) the following shall be substituted, namely:-
"(2) (a) Appointment to ninety per cent posts in the cadre strength of Civil Judge (Senior Division) shall be made by promotion from the Civil Judge (Junior Division) in the Kerala State Judicial Service from a select list prepared by the High Court from among the eligible officers on the basis of merit and suitability. Merit and suitability shall be assessed with reference to the entries in the Annual Performance Assessment Report relating to the officers, penalties, if any, imposed on them, their performance as Judicial Officers and other relevant considerations. Seniority shall be the criterion only if merit and suitability are found to be equal. Officers superseded shall be informed of their supersession with reasons therefore. They shall be considered for promotion again after the expiry of six months.
(b) Appointment to the remaining ten per cent of the cadre strength of Civil Judge (Senior Division) shall be filled up by appointment by promotion from amongst the Civil Judge (Junior Division) in the Kerala State Judicial Service having not less than three years of substantive service as Civil Judge (Junior Division) on the last date of application based on merit-cum-suitability assessed in a Limited Departmental Competitive Examination (LDCE) which shall consist of a written examination and viva voce. The number of papers, syllabus, marks for each paper and minimum marks to be obtained to qualify in the written examination shall be decided by the High Court from time to time.
The minimum marks to be obtained in the viva voce shall be decided by the High Court from time to time. For the viva voce, the following factors such as,-
3(i) Annual Performance Assessment Report of the Judicial Officer of the preceding three years;
(ii) volume of cases disposed of in the preceding three years;
(iii) average number of days worked per month/year immediately preceding three years on the last date of calling for viva voce, and
(iv) general perceptions and awareness as well as communication skills, shall be assessed.
The unfilled Limited Departmental Competitive Examination posts shall be filled up through regular promotion in the same year.".
(2) for rule 8, the following shall be substituted, namely:-
"8. Every person selected for appointment to category 2 in sub rule (1) of rule 5 shall undergo, training for a period of one year or such longer period as may be prescribed by the High Court before presiding in a Court.
(3) in rule 10,- (i) in sub-rule (1), the words and symbols "shall satisfy the following general conditions, namely: the said person"- shall be deleted;
(ii) in item (a) of sub - rule (1), after the words, "Shall be a citizen of India", the words and figure "and should not have completed 35 years of age on the first day of January of the year in which applications for appointment are invited" shall be inserted;
(iii) for item (c) of sub rule (1), the following item and Explanation shall be substituted, namely:-
"(c) Shall have practiced for a minimum period of 3 years on the first day of January of the year in which applications for appointment are invited. Candidates shall produce a certificate showing their years of practice issued by a Judicial Officer before whom they have practiced; or by an Advocate having a minimum practice of 10 years and duly endorsed by the Principal Judicial Officer of the District/Principal Judicial Officer of the station where the candidate is practicing; or if the candidates are practicing before the High Court or Supreme Court by an Advocate having a minimum practice of 10 years before the High Court or Supreme Court and endorsed by an officer of that Court duly designated by the Court for the same.
4Explanation,-
(i) In computing the years of practice, the period spent as a duly appointed Law Clerk/Research Assistant, with any Judge or Judicial Officer in the country, shall be considered;
(ii) The minimum period of 3 years shall be reckoned from the date of enrollment with the Bar Council.".
By order of the Governor,
MINHAJ ALAM
Additional Chief Secretary to Government.
Explanatory Note
(This does not form part of the notification, but is intended to indicate its general purport.)
The Hon'ble Supreme Court in its Judgment dated 20th May, 2025 in IA No.93974 of 2019 and connected matters in WP(C)1022 of 1989 (All India Judges Association and Others V. The Union of India and Others) on consideration of several critical issues concerning the recruitment, promotion, and qualifications within the Judicial Services in India, at the levels of Civil Judge (Junior Division), Civil Judge (Senior Division) and District Judge, has issued comprehensive directions aimed at improving the efficiency, quality and morale of the Judiciary. The above directions necessitated appropriate amendments in the Kerala Judicial Service Rules, 1991. Therefore, the High Court of Kerala, has proposed certain amendments to be effected in the Kerala Judicial Service Rules, 1991 on the basis of the directions of the Hon'ble Supreme Court in its Judgment read supra. The Government have accepted the said proposal of the High Court of Kerala and decided to amend the said rules suitably.
The notification is intended to achieve the above object.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ PUBLISHED BY THE SUPERINTENDENT OF GOVERNMENT PRESSES AT THE GOVERNMENT CENTRAL PRESS, THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, 2026