The Chhattisgarh High Court has temporarily stopped the 2024 Civil Judge (Junior Division) recruitment exam. This decision, dated 7th April 2025, came during a hearing in the case of Ms. Vinita Yadav vs The State of Chhattisgarh & Others (WPS No. 608 of 2025).
The stay order will remain in effect until further instructions from the court. The preliminary exam, which was earlier scheduled for 18th May 2025, has been paused to await the Supreme Court’s decision regarding the minimum years of legal practice required for judicial service candidates.
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The court was informed by Advocate General Mr. Prafull Bharat, representing the State of Chhattisgarh, that similar recruitment processes have already been paused in Karnataka and Gujarat. These states are waiting for clarity from the Apex Court on whether prior legal practice should be a mandatory qualification for aspiring judicial officers.
“As the Apex Court is seized of the matter, respondent No.2/Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission is directed not to proceed with the examination in question until further orders,”
— High Court of Chhattisgarh (Order dated 07.04.2025)
This legal challenge was raised by Ms. Vinita Yadav, a law graduate and a full-time government employee. She filed the writ petition because she is not allowed to enroll as an advocate under Rule 49 of the Bar Council of India Rules, which prevents individuals with full-time jobs from registering as lawyers. This restriction has made her ineligible for the Civil Judge (Junior Division) exam under the current recruitment rules.
She challenged two main issues:
- A recent amendment made by the Law and Legislative Affairs Department of Chhattisgarh to the Chhattisgarh Lower Judicial Service (Recruitment and Conditions of Service) Rules, 2006. This amendment makes enrollment as an advocate under the Advocates Act, 1961 a mandatory requirement to sit for the exam.
- An advertisement published by the Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission (CGPSC) in December 2024, which reiterated that only those enrolled as advocates under the Act of 1961 are eligible to apply.
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In an earlier development, the High Court had allowed non-enrolled candidates to fill out the exam application forms as a temporary measure, awaiting the final decision in the ongoing legal dispute.
Case Details: MS. VINITA YADAV Vs THE STATE OF CHHATTISGARH & ORS. | WPS No. 608 of 2025
