AP High Court Civil Judge Recruitment 2026: 119 Junior Division Posts

AP High Court Civil Judge Recruitment 2026 fills 119 posts of Civil Judge (Junior Division) in the Andhra Pradesh State Judicial Service. The High Court of Andhra Pradesh issued Notification No.118/2026-RC on 25 September 2026. Of the 119 posts, 96 are for direct recruitment and 23 for recruitment by transfer of serving staff. The online form runs from 1 October to 26 October 2026, until 11:59 PM. Direct applicants need a law degree (see the one-year line below) and must not have turned 35 on 1 September 2026. SC, ST, BC, EWS and disabled applicants get age relaxation. The regular pay scale of Rs 77,840 to Rs 1,36,520 starts after two years of training and law clerkship at half a Civil Judge’s remuneration.

AP High Court Civil Judge Recruitment 2026: BC Group-E selection is subject to a Supreme Court appeal

SC means Scheduled Caste and ST means Scheduled Tribe. Within the 39 Open Competition seats, four are kept for persons with disabilities. There is one each for blindness or low vision, for deaf and hard of hearing, and for locomotor disability. The fourth is for autism, intellectual disability, mental illness or multiple disabilities.

The table above covers the 96 direct posts. The 23 transfer posts split into 18 Open Competition, 1 SC Group-I, 1 SC Group-III and 3 ST. Selection against the BC Group-E seats depends on Civil Appeal Nos. 2628-2637/2010, which the notice says are pending before the Supreme Court. The High Court may also raise or cut the posts, or cancel the notification.

The one-year law degree line in Notification No.118/2026

The eligibility line for direct recruits reads: “All Law graduates who have obtained Law Degree preceding one year as on the date of Notification are eligible to appear”. It cites a Supreme Court judgment of 21 August 2026 in Bhumika Trust vs Union of India (Writ Petition (Civil) No.1110/2025). It also cites amendments to the Andhra Pradesh State Judicial (Service and Cadre) Rules, 2026 that the notice describes as pending.

The notice does not explain the phrase further. It can be read in two ways. One reading is that the degree must be at least one year old on 25 September 2026. Another reading is that every law graduate on that date can apply, including those who got the degree in the past year. The notice does not say which reading is meant. It does not mention any years of practice at the Bar either. The notice says the High Court will not entertain correspondence, so watch aphc.gov.in for any clarification.

The notice defines direct recruitment as appointment of a person who is not in the service of the Government of India or a State. You must be an Indian citizen of good character and fit for the post. You cannot apply if you were dismissed, removed or compulsorily retired from service. A conviction in any criminal case also bars you, as does one for moral turpitude (a crime involving dishonesty or immoral conduct, such as fraud). Being permanently debarred or disqualified by the High Court, UPSC or any state public service commission also bars you. So does failing to complete probation, doubtful integrity, or trying to influence the recruiting authority. Being arrested in connection with a crime involving moral turpitude also bars you, as does copying or misconduct in the screening test or written exam. A man with more than one wife living, or a woman who knowingly married a man with a wife living, is not eligible.

Which serving staff can apply by transfer for the 23 posts

Recruitment by transfer is for staff who hold a law degree and are confirmed members or approved probationers (staff whose probation has been declared complete) in these posts:

• named posts of the High Court of Andhra Pradesh, including Section Officers, Court Masters, Assistants, Examiners, Typists and Copyists;
• in the District Judiciary, only Chief Administrative Officers, Senior Superintendents, Superintendents, Stenographers Grade-I, II and III, Senior Assistants, Junior Assistants and Typists;
• Assistant Public Prosecutors, Senior Assistant Public Prosecutors and Additional Public Prosecutors Grade-II;
• Section Officers in the state Law Department and the Legislature Department;
• managers of the Advocate General’s offices, and the Editor, I.L.R. of the State of Andhra Pradesh. The same line also names Government Pleaders and Public Prosecutors. It leaves open whether they are covered themselves, or only managers of their offices.

Transfer applicants must not face disciplinary charges or any punishment. They upload proof of probation, their employer’s permission to study law, and a service and conduct certificate. A No Objection Certificate (NOC), a letter saying the employer does not object, is needed when original certificates are checked.

Age limits under Notification No.118/2026: 35 for direct recruits, 48 for transfer

A direct applicant must not have completed 35 years on 1 September 2026. The limit rises by:

• 5 years for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Backward Classes and EWS;
• 10 years for persons with benchmark disabilities.

Service in the defence forces is left out when age is worked out. A transfer applicant must not have completed 48 years on 1 September 2026.

BC applicants need a non-creamy layer certificate issued in 2025 or 2026, or they are treated as Open Competition. Non-creamy layer status is judged under G.O.Ms.No.3 (2006) and G.O.Ms.No.26 (2013), using the income ceiling in force on the notification date. EWS applicants need a 2025 or 2026 certificate from the Tahsildar showing family income below Rs 8 lakh a year.

Screening marks only get you in; Civil Judge Paper I, Paper II and the viva decide

Selection has three stages:

1. Screening test: a computer based test (CBT) of 100 multiple choice questions for 100 marks, in 2 hours. You need 40% or more, and candidates are short-listed at 10 times the vacancies. These marks only short-list and do not count in the final merit.
2. Written exam: three papers of 100 marks and 3 hours each, answered in English (except the translation part). Paper I is Civil Laws, Paper II is Criminal Laws, and Paper III is English.
3. Viva voce: an interview of 50 marks for candidates called at 3 times the vacancies in each category. Missing it disqualifies you.

Paper III has a 40-mark part on translating a passage from English to Telugu and from Telugu to English. A 60-mark part is an essay on legal subjects. You need 40% in each part, but Paper III marks do not count towards the viva call or the final selection. The notice says you shall secure 40% in each part, so the English-Telugu translation part works as a qualifying hurdle even though Paper III marks are not counted.

55%, 50% or 45% in the law papers before the viva call

If marks are tied, the older candidate goes first. Next comes the higher educational qualification, and then higher marks in the prescribed qualification.

The syllabus has 13 civil law subjects, from the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 to the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023.

The 16 criminal law subjects start with the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973. They include the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and state laws such as the A.P. Excise Act, 1968 and the A.P. Forest Act, 1967.

Two years as a Trainee Judicial Officer before the Rs 77,840 pay scale

People selected are called Trainee Judicial Officers. They first train for one year at the Judicial Academy. During that year they get a fixed amount equal to one-half of the remuneration payable to a Civil Judge (Junior Division), plus the Academy’s facilities for trainees.

After successful completion of the training, a second year follows as a law clerk. The first six months are under a Principal District or District and Sessions Judge or a member of the Higher Judicial Service. The last six months are under a Judge of the High Court. The pay stays the same as in the training year, with no extra allowance.

A High Court Judge writes an evaluation report at the end of the clerkship. Only if it is satisfactory is the officer appointed to the regular post, with the pay scale of Rs 77,840 to Rs 1,36,520. The notice repeats its note on the Bhumika Trust judgment and the pending rule amendments right after this training section.

Three centre choices from six cities, and a Rs 750 rate that may leave out disabled applicants

The fee is Rs 1,500 for Open Competition, EWS and BC applicants. Para XIII(a) on page 10 of the notice puts SC, ST and persons with disabilities at Rs 750. The next line, on page 11, says only applicants from a community recognised as SC or ST in Andhra Pradesh are entitled to the Rs 750 rate. The notice does not say which line applies to applicants with disabilities. It prints no helpline or email, so check aphc.gov.in for any clarification. Pay online. The fee is not refunded, even if the application is rejected or the notification is cancelled.

Choose three screening test centres in order of preference from Guntur, Kurnool, Rajahmundry (Rajamahendravaram), Tirupati, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam. Requests to change the centre are not accepted, and the High Court may allot a centre other than the ones chosen. The notice of 25 September 2026 says the screening test date will be notified later. Hall tickets come out a week before the test.

The application cannot be edited once documents are uploaded and submitted. Upload your date of birth proof, law degree, and any community, non-creamy layer, EWS, disability or discharge certificate. No travel or daily allowance is paid for any stage.

Other Andhra Pradesh government jobs are listed separately. Lawyers with practice or government legal service can also apply until 16 October 2026 for Assistant Legislative Counsel and Law Officer posts under UPSC Advt 12/2026.

✍️ Published byLokesh Rathore

Lokesh Rathore is a content writer with over 4 years of experience covering Government Jobs, Sarkari Result, Admit Card and Sarkari Yojana. He turns complex official notifications into clear, accurate and easy-to-follow updates for job seekers across India - with every post cross-checked against official government sources.

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