3 Year Practice Rule For Judicial Service : Live Updates From Supreme Court Review Hearing
The Supreme Court is hearing review petitions against the judgment holding that a 3-year practice is mandatory for entering into judicial services.
Bench: CJI Surya Kant, Justice August George Masih and Justice K Vinod Chandran
During the hearing last month, the CJI had orally commented that the three-year rule was disproportionately affecting women candidates.
Responding to the Court's call for suggestions, several High Courts have supported retaining the condition while some others have supported relaxing the mandate for specially abled candidates.
Law colleges have suggested broadening the meaning of "practice at the Bar" to include alternative forms of legal experience.
Follow this page for live-updates from the hearing.
Court to hear the matter next week.
Gonsalves: so you are losing the best brains.
Gonsalves: we will have to see how many NLU graduates that are interested to join actually do so after the three year rule is implemented. How many of them abandoned litigation completely? Quite a considerable number, I want to check the statistics.
Gonsalves: training of judicial officers post joining is the way to go for India.
CJI: you put the best of the talent keep it in your Kitty and then you put them to training. That is one way is that for 3 years your abandon them that unless you go there and practice I am not going to consider you and in 3 years god knows where they will be.
Senior Advocate Colin Gonsalves: the way to go is in terms of training. There is a massive expansion of judicial academy and judicial trainings. Across the world the trend is away from practice and the bar and towards very in depth and intensive training.
CJI: the point of the practice requirement is that you learn something
CJI: 3 years should be there. But does that mean an advocate sitting idle in one court or the other and watching? Is that going to make them eligible. Or make them free legal aid counsel. That is a very good idea.
CJI: Ultimately, let's be very clear. The practice condition will have to be there. There is the view taken by a bent and we should respect that bench. The only issue is the modalities of giving effect to that.
Anand: kindly keep the three year practice rule in abeyance. That makes far more sense than just to extend the date.
CJI: you have given some suggestions and the amicus has also given some suggestions. You also revisit it while we are also considering it. Next week again we will take this up. We have taken care of urgency.