The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a plea challenging the Telangana High Court decision regarding the eligibility criteria for the examination for the post of civil judge in the state. The criteria only allow lawyers enrolled in the local bar association to appear for the exam. Advocate V Rakesh Reddy, who is enrolled with the Delhi Bar Council, filed the plea. The bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and Prashant Kumar Mishra issued notice on the plea and allowed Reddy to apply for the post of civil judge in Telangana.
Reddy was allowed to upload his admission form online in accordance with an advertisement dated April 10, 2024. The bench noted that his application should not be rejected based on certain grounds mentioned in the rules. The Telangana State Judicial Services Rules of 2023 require candidates to be practitioners from the local bar association and submit a certificate of practice as proof. Reddy, being enrolled with the Delhi Bar Council, faced potential rejection due to this requirement.
Advocates representing Reddy argued that he should not be disqualified solely based on the requirement of a certificate of practice from the local bar association. The court had previously granted interim relief to another candidate facing a similar challenge for the post of district judge. Reddy’s plea was tagged along with this pending matter. Reddy contested that the notification for the exam introduced a new requirement that was not present in previous years’ notifications, causing inconvenience to aspirants.
Reddy argued that the new requirement breached the legitimate expectations of aspirants as they would need to enroll with the Bar Association of Telangana within a short timeframe or forego the examination entirely. The last date for submission of online applications was May 17, 2024, creating urgency for affected candidates like Reddy.
