Patna HC District Judge Recruitment 2026

About This Job

Patna High Court has released notification for 8 District Judge (Entry Level) posts under the Bihar Superior Judicial Service. Advocates with 7 years of continuous practice can apply online. Last date to apply is 15 May 2026. Age limit is 35 to 50 years. Salary ranges from Rs. 1,44,840 to Rs. 1,94,660 per month under Level J-5.

High Court of Judicature at Patna (Patna HC) District Judge Recruitment 2026 - 8 Posts

High Court of Judicature at Patna (Patna HC) has released Advertisement No. BSJS/1/2026 for 8 District Judge (Entry Level) posts through the Direct from Bar Exam-2026 route. This recruitment covers 3 current vacancies for the years 2023-24 and 2024-25, plus 5 backlog vacancies from earlier years. Reservation benefits are available only for permanent residents of Bihar — candidates from other states must apply under the Unreserved (UR) category. Practicing advocates, government pleaders, and public prosecutors with at least 7 years of continuous practice are eligible.

Vacancy Breakdown

Current Vacancies (2023-24 and 2024-25):

• Unreserved (UR): 2 posts (including 1 for woman)
• Scheduled Caste (SC): 1 post

Backlog Vacancies (2021-22 and 2022-23):

• Unreserved (UR): 3 posts (including 1 for woman)
• Extremely Backward Class (EBC): 1 post

Backlog Vacancy (2020-21):

• Scheduled Tribe (ST): 1 post

Note: Reservation percentages for Bihar are SC 16%, ST 1%, EBC 21%, BC 12%, EWS 10%. There is also 35% horizontal reservation for women and 1% for orthopedically handicapped candidates who are permanent residents or natives of Bihar.

Who Can Apply?

• Qualification: You must be an Advocate or Pleader (including Government Pleaders and Public Prosecutors) enrolled with the Bar Council.
• Experience: You need at least 7 years of continuous practice as an Advocate on the date of application.
• Case Appearance: You must have appeared in at least 24 cases per year in the last three years (2022-23, 2023-24, and 2024-25).
• Judicial Officers: Officers who completed 7 years of practice as an Advocate before joining subordinate judicial service are also eligible.
• Combined Experience: A person in judicial service with a combined experience of 7 years or more as Advocate plus Judicial Officer is eligible under Article 233 of the Constitution.
• Prosecution Officers: Prosecution Officers and Assistant Prosecution Officers are treated as Advocates as per the Supreme Court judgment in Deepak Agarwal Vs. Keshav Kaushik (Civil Appeal No. 561 of 2013).
• Domicile: Reservation benefits are only for permanent residents of Bihar. Candidates from other states must apply under UR category.

Age Limit

• You must be at least 35 years old and not more than 50 years old as on the date of application.

Salary

• Selected candidates will draw pay in the revised scale of Rs. 1,44,840 to Rs. 1,94,660 per month under Level J-5 of the Judicial Pay Matrix.
• Pre-revised pay scale: Rs. 51,550-1,230-58,930-1,380-63,070.
• You will also receive DA, HRA, and all other admissible allowances as per Bihar Government rules.

Application Fee

• General / OBC / EBC / BC / EWS: Rs. 1,500
• SC / ST / OH (Bihar domicile): Rs. 750
• Payment mode: Online only (through the Patna HC website)
• Fee once paid will not be refunded.

Selection Process

The selection will be done in up to 3 stages:

1. Preliminary/Screening Test (if held): 100 objective-type (MCQ) questions for 300 marks (3 marks per question). Each wrong answer carries 1 mark negative marking. Subjects include Law, English Language, General Knowledge, and Computer Knowledge. Approximately 10 times the number of vacancies will be called for the Written Test based on screening marks. Note: Screening test marks are only for shortlisting — they do not count towards final merit.
2. Written Test (Main Examination): Theory papers carrying 80% weightage in the final selection. Subjects include Constitution of India, Code of Civil Procedure, Limitation Act, BNSS, Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, Indian Contract Act, Transfer of Property Act, Sale of Goods Act, Partnership Act, Specific Relief Act, Negotiable Instruments Act, Arbitration and Conciliation Act, Personal Laws, Motor Vehicles Act, Family Courts Act, Prevention of Corruption Act, SC/ST Atrocities Act, and BNS. You need at least 45% marks in each theory paper to qualify for the viva-voce.
3. Viva-Voce (Interview): Carries 20% weightage. Approximately 3 times the vacancies will be called. You need at least 30% marks in the interview. Final qualifying mark is 50% aggregate of written and viva-voce combined.

Reserved category candidates (including women and OH) get 5% relaxation in qualifying marks for screening test and theory papers. Their aggregate qualifying mark is 45% (written + viva-voce), provided they secure 30% in interview.

How to Apply

1. Go to the Patna High Court website at www.patnahighcourt.gov.in.
2. Find the District Judge (Entry Level) recruitment link under Notices/Recruitments.
3. Fill in the online application form in English only.
4. Make the fee payment online and note down your bank reference number.
5. After 24 hours of successful payment, visit the website again using your registration number and date of birth.
6. Upload your scanned colour photograph, signature (in black ink), and handwritten declaration.
7. Fill in the bank reference number and submit the application form.
8. Take a printout of the completed application for your records.

The link for uploading documents will remain available until 22 May 2026 (23:59 hours).

Important Dates

• Notification Date: 30 March 2026
• Online Application Start: 16 April 2026
• Last Date to Apply Online: 15 May 2026 (23:59 hours)
• Last Date to Upload Documents: 22 May 2026 (23:59 hours)
• Exam Date: To be announced
• Admit Card: To be announced (download from patnahighcourt.gov.in)

• Preside over civil and criminal cases in the District Court
• Hear arguments, examine evidence, and deliver judgments in assigned matters
• Manage case dockets and ensure timely disposal of pending cases
• Conduct bail hearings, remand proceedings, and interlocutory applications
• Supervise subordinate courts and judicial officers within the district
• Handle administrative duties related to court management and staff supervision
• Maintain proper court records and ensure compliance with procedural laws