In Brief
This landmark Constitutional Bench decision clarifies that judicial officers with seven years' combined experience as advocates and/or judges are eligible for direct recruitment as District Judges under Article 233 of the Constitution. The Court overruled prior three-Judge Bench judgments (Satya Narain Singh, Dheeraj Mor) that had restricted direct recruitment to practicing advocates only. The Court held that Article 233(2) prescribes eligibility only for advocates/pleaders but deliberately leaves the criteria for in-service candidates unspecified, respecting judicial independence. Eligibility is assessed at time of application, with minimum age 35 years and continuous (not aggregate) experience required. The 25% quota for advocates does not exclude in-service candidates. The judgment emphasizes that merit-based selection of the best candidates, including experienced judicial officers, strengthens the judiciary.
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