The High Court of Andhra Pradesh at Amaravati has issued Notification No.118/2026-RC dated 25 September 2026 for recruitment to 119 posts of Civil Judge (Junior Division) for the year 2026: 96 posts by Direct Recruitment and 23 posts by Recruitment by Transfer. Applications are accepted online only.
Last date extended: the original last date was 26 October 2026. The High Court extended it to 10 November 2026 (notice dated 16 October 2026) and again to 30 November 2026, 11.59 PM (notice dated 6 November 2026). The application portal page may still show 26 October 2026; the High Court's notice dated 6 November 2026 is the latest.
Direct Recruitment is open to law graduates who obtained the law degree preceding one year as on the date of the notification, as per the Supreme Court judgment in Bhumika Trust Vs. Union of India, WP (Civil) No.1110/2025 dated 21 August 2026, pending amendments to the Andhra Pradesh State Judicial (Service and Cadre) Rules, 2026. The notification defines Direct Recruitment as appointment of a person who is not in the service of the Government of India / State. The notice does not state a years-of-practice requirement. Upper age limit is 35 years as on 1 September 2026 (Direct Recruitment) and 48 years (Recruitment by Transfer).
Selection is by a computer-based Screening Test (100 marks), a Written Examination (three papers of 100 marks each) and a Viva Voce (50 marks). Selected candidates first undergo one year of training at the Judicial Academy and one year of Law Clerkship before regular appointment.
| Organisation | High Court of Andhra Pradesh |
|---|---|
| Total Vacancies | 119 posts |
| Qualification | Law degree obtained preceding one year as on the date of notification (Direct Recruitment) |
| Age Limit | Maximum 35 years (as on 01 Sept 2026) |
| Salary / Pay Scale | Rs.77,840 - 1,36,520 |
| Employment Type | Andhra Pradesh State Judicial Service |
| Job Location | Andhra Pradesh |
| Notification date | 25 Sept 2026 |
|---|---|
| Online application starts | 01 Oct 2026 |
| Original last date | 26 Oct 2026 |
| Last date to apply (extended) | 30 Nov 2026 |
| Hall ticket | To be announced |
| Screening Test (CBT) | To be announced |
| Open Category / EWS / BC | Rs.1,500 |
|---|---|
| SC / ST (community recognised as SC/ST in A.P.) / Persons with Benchmark Disabilities | Rs.750 |
| Post Name | Vacancies |
|---|---|
| Direct Recruitment: Open Competition (13 for women; 1 each for four benchmark-disability groups) | 39 |
| Direct Recruitment: EWS (3 for women) | 9 |
| Direct Recruitment: BC-A (2 for women) | 7 |
| Direct Recruitment: BC-B (3 for women) | 10 |
| Direct Recruitment: BC-C | 1 |
| Direct Recruitment: BC-D (2 for women) | 6 |
| Direct Recruitment: BC-E (1 for women) | 4 |
| Direct Recruitment: SC Group-I | 1 |
| Direct Recruitment: SC Group-II (2 for women) | 7 |
| Direct Recruitment: SC Group-III (2 for women) | 6 |
| Direct Recruitment: ST (2 for women) | 6 |
| Direct Recruitment total | 96 |
| Recruitment by Transfer: Open Competition | 18 |
| Recruitment by Transfer: SC Group-I | 1 |
| Recruitment by Transfer: SC Group-III | 1 |
| Recruitment by Transfer: ST | 3 |
| Recruitment by Transfer total | 23 |
| Qualification (Direct Recruitment) | Law graduates who obtained the law degree preceding one year as on the date of the notification |
|---|---|
| Qualification (Recruitment by Transfer) | Degree in Law from a University established by law in India, and a confirmed member or approved probationer in an eligible category |
| Age (Direct Recruitment) | Must not complete 35 years as on 01.09.2026 |
| Age (Recruitment by Transfer) | Must not complete 48 years as on 01.09.2026 |
| Direct Recruitment means | Appointment of a person who is not in the service of the Government of India / State |
| Citizenship | Citizen of India |
| Character | Good character, and free from any infirmity which renders the candidate unfit for such appointment |
| Not eligible (Direct Recruitment and Recruitment by Transfer) | A person dismissed, removed or compulsorily retired from Judicial Service or any Government, Statutory or Local Authority service (or dismissed from the service of an undertaking of the Central or State Government); convicted of an offence involving moral turpitude, or arrested in connection with a crime involving moral turpitude and concerned with the same; permanently debarred or disqualified by the High Court, UPSC or any State PSC; or who influences the recruitment authority |
| Also not eligible | A candidate who committed copying or misconduct during a Screening Test or Written Examination, has been convicted in a criminal case, or could not successfully complete the probation period of any post in Judicial Service or other service; an officer found to be of doubtful integrity in any year; a man with more than one wife living; a woman who knowingly marries a person having a wife; a person in a bigamous marriage |
| Recruitment by Transfer conditions | Good character and conduct, and must not fall under the disqualifications in Point II(A)(b), (c) and (d) of the notification (rows above); a person facing disciplinary charges, or who has undergone or is undergoing any punishment for an irregularity in duties, is not eligible |
Screening Test (CBT)
100 marks, 2 hours; candidates with 40% and above shortlisted 1:10 of the vacancies; minimum marks give no right to be called
Written Examination
Paper-I Civil Laws, Paper-II Criminal Laws, Paper-III English (Translation and Essay); 100 marks and 3 hours each
Viva Voce
50 marks; called 1:3 of the vacancies in each category
Final selection
On Paper-I + Paper-II + Viva Voce marks, subject to category-wise minimum marks
Open the application portal
Use the High Court's online application portal (APHC JCJ Application 2026), linked on this page and from the recruitment notifications list on aphc.gov.in. The application has two parts, Part A and Part B; both must be completed.
Part A: New Registration
Choose Direct Recruitment or Recruitment By Transfer and fill in your basic details (name strictly as per the SSC or equivalent certificate; date of birth strictly as mentioned in the SSC or its equivalent examination). The Application Link, User ID and Password are sent to your registered email ID. Once the registration is done, profile details cannot be changed.
Part B: Login and fill the form
Log in with the User ID and Password (the login page has a FORGOT USER ID/PASSWORD link), fill in the application, choose 3 exam centres in order of preference and upload the documents. Photograph and signature: each not more than 80 Kb. The portal also has a Manual of Online Application Form.
Preview and pay the fee online
Preview the filled-in application, then pay the exam fee: Rs.1,500 (OC/EWS/BC) or Rs.750 (SC/ST/PwBD; the SC/ST concession is only for communities recognised as SC/ST in A.P.).
Submit by 30 November 2026, 11.59 PM
Options cannot be edited and documents cannot be replaced after the documents are uploaded and the application is submitted.
| Stage 1: Screening Test | Computer Based Test (CBT): 100 objective-type questions, 100 marks, 2 hours |
|---|---|
| Stage 2: Written Examination | 3 papers, 100 marks each, 3 hours each |
| Paper-I | Civil Laws, 100 marks |
| Paper-II | Criminal Laws, 100 marks |
| Paper-III | English (Translation and Essay Writing), 100 marks |
| Stage 3: Viva Voce | 50 marks |
| Marks counted for selection | Paper-I (100 marks) + Paper-II (100 marks) + Viva Voce (50 marks) |
| Negative marking | Not stated in the notification |
| OC / EWS (Direct Recruitment) | 55% in Paper-I and Paper-II and 60% in aggregate |
|---|---|
| BC (Direct Recruitment) | 50% in Paper-I and Paper-II and 55% in aggregate |
| SC / ST / PwBD (Direct Recruitment) | 45% in Paper-I and Paper-II and 50% in aggregate |
| Recruitment by Transfer | 55% in Paper-I and Paper-II and 60% in aggregate |
| OC / EWS (Direct Recruitment) | 60% in aggregate |
|---|---|
| BC (Direct Recruitment) | 55% in aggregate |
| SC / ST / PwBD (Direct Recruitment) | 50% in aggregate |
| Recruitment by Transfer | 60% in aggregate |
| Tie in marks | Elder in age first; then higher educational qualification; then highest marks in the prescribed qualification |
Selected candidates are designated Trainee Judicial Officers and undergo one year of compulsory intensive training at the Judicial Academy, on a fixed emolument of one-half of the remuneration payable to a Civil Judge (Junior Division), plus the facilities given to trainees at the Academy.
After successful training they do a further one year of structured Law Clerkship: six months under Principal District Judges / District and Sessions Judges or members of the Higher Judicial Service, and six months under a Judge of the High Court, on the same emoluments. After a satisfactory evaluation report they are appointed to the regular post in the regular pay scale (Rs.77,840 - 1,36,520).
Guntur, Kurnool, Rajahmundry (Rajamahendravaram), Tirupati, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam. Candidates choose 3 centres in order of preference. The High Court may allot any other centre, or abolish or create a centre, for administrative reasons, and will not accept requests to change the centre. The venue for the written examination will be announced after the screening test result.
| helpdesk-hc.ap@aij.gov.in | |
| Phone | 0863-2372752 |
| Hours | 10.30 AM to 5.00 PM on working days (lunch break 1.30 PM to 2.15 PM) |
Copies of the official PDFs from aphc.gov.in. Check the High Court website for later notices.
119 posts of Civil Judge (Junior Division): 96 by Direct Recruitment and 23 by Recruitment by Transfer (Notification No.118/2026-RC dated 25 September 2026).
30 November 2026, up to 11.59 PM. The High Court extended the last date by its notice dated 6 November 2026. The original last date was 26 October 2026, first extended to 10 November 2026.
Law graduates who obtained the law degree preceding one year as on the date of the notification, as per the Supreme Court judgment in Bhumika Trust Vs. Union of India, WP (Civil) No.1110/2025 dated 21 August 2026. Direct Recruitment means appointment of a person who is not in the service of the Government of India / State, and the candidate must be a citizen of India. The upper age limit is 35 years as on 1 September 2026.
The upper age limit of 35 years is relaxable by 5 years for SC, ST, BC and EWS candidates and by 10 years for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities. Defence service is excluded when computing age for Direct Recruitment. For Recruitment by Transfer the upper age limit is 48 years as on 1 September 2026.
Rs.1,500 for Open Category, EWS and BC candidates, paid online. The notification fixes Rs.750 for SC, ST and Persons with Benchmark Disabilities, and adds: 'Only the applicants belong to a community recognized as SC/ST in the State of A.P. are alone entitled for the concessional payment of examination fee of Rs.750/-'. The fee is not refundable.
A computer-based Screening Test (100 marks, 2 hours; candidates with 40% and above are shortlisted in the ratio of 1:10 of the vacancies), a Written Examination of three papers (Civil Laws, Criminal Laws, English Translation and Essay) and a Viva Voce of 50 marks. Final merit is based on Paper-I, Paper-II and the Viva Voce.
The pay scale is Rs.77,840 - 1,36,520. During the one-year training and the one-year Law Clerkship, a fixed emolument of one-half of the remuneration of a Civil Judge (Junior Division) is paid.
The date of the Screening Test has not been announced yet; the High Court will notify it. Hall tickets are to be available one week before the Screening Test.
