JKHC District Judge Recruitment 2026: 16 Posts for J&K and Ladakh Advocates

The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh (JKHC) has re-advertised its District Judge (Entry Level) posts, last advertised in August 2024 and first in June 2024. The JKHC District Judge Recruitment 2026 has 16 posts, under Notification No. 2510 of 2026/RG dated 3 October 2026. It asks for seven years of practice, J&K domicile or a Ladakh residence certificate, and the ability to read and write Urdu. The notification sets the online application window as 5 October to 4 November 2026. The pay level is J-5 (Rs 1,44,840 to Rs 1,94,660). You must be 35 to 45 years old on the last date.

JKHC District Judge Recruitment 2026 replaces the August 2024 advertisement

This is a re-advertisement. It supersedes Notification No. 1841 of 2024 dated 8 August 2024, read with its corrigendum of 12 August 2024. Later High Court notices refer to that 8 August 2024 advertisement as No. 05 of 2024/RG/GS (sometimes 05 of 2024/RG). The posts are filled by direct recruitment under the Jammu and Kashmir Higher Judicial Service Rules, 2009, as amended (page 1).

If you applied under Notification 1841 of 2024 or Notification 03 of 2024 (5 June 2024), you may not need to apply again. That holds only if you were eligible under the rules then in force and your candidature was not rejected (page 1).

16 District Judge posts across eight JKHC categories

The notification splits the 16 posts like this (page 1). The codes are printed as in the notice, which does not spell them out. Your category certificate shows which one applies to you.

To claim a reserved category, you must hold a valid category certificate on the cut-off date. Your candidature stays provisional until the certificate is verified. A false certificate means being debarred from the exam, along with any other penal action (page 3).

Urdu, domicile and seven years of practice on 4 November 2026

You need all of the following (pages 1 and 2). The practice, age, domicile and citizenship conditions are counted on the last date, 4 November 2026.

• a law degree from a university recognised by the Bar Council of India;
• at least seven years of actual, continuous practice as an advocate in civil and criminal courts. Serving judicial officers instead need seven years of combined continuous experience as advocate and judicial officer;
• age from 35 to 45 years, with two more years for SC, ST, OBC and PwBD (persons with benchmark disability) candidates;
• Indian citizenship and J&K domicile under the 2020 domicile rules, or a Ladakh resident certificate under the 2021 order;
• the ability to read and write Urdu.

Here, “advocate” includes practising advocates, pleaders, government pleaders and public prosecutors (page 1). Practising advocates need an experience certificate from the Principal District and Sessions Judge, or the Registrar Judicial of the High Court wing, in the Annexure-A format. Serving officers need the Annexure-B certificate. If you count your practice under the wider meaning of “advocate”, you must show proof of that engagement to the Principal District and Sessions Judge or Registrar Judicial (page 6). Judicial officers serving elsewhere must get a similar certificate from their own High Court (page 7).

Five papers judicial officers must attach, under the High Court’s 13 October notice

The notice No. 48094-101/RG/GS of 13 October 2026 is for judicial officers who want the Annexure-B certificate. Their request for the certificate must carry these documents, or it will not be processed:

1. proof of enrolment as an advocate, with the date of first enrolment and the provisional and final enrolment notifications;
2. proof of legal practice: reported and unreported judgments with the matching vakalatnamas or powers of attorney;
3. if you worked as a public prosecutor after enrolment, the engagement order, proof of its period and end, and a certificate from the employer;
4. a copy of the notification suspending your enrolment after you joined judicial service;
5. a full account, backed by an affidavit, of every job or engagement from enrolment to joining judicial service.

Judgment writing, Urdu or Hindi translation and the 40-mark viva in the JKHC exam

The written exam has two papers of two hours each, worth 80 marks each. The viva-voce (interview) carries 40 marks (page 2). Each paper has three parts with an equal number of questions. You answer nine questions per paper, three from each part (page 8).

The syllabus note says “laws” means the laws in force in the union territories of J&K and Ladakh after the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019.

To reach the viva, you need at least 50% in the written exam (45% for SC, ST and PwBD candidates). Those who qualify are called in order of merit, three for each vacancy. In the viva you again need 50% of 40 marks (45% for SC, ST and PwBD). The final selection uses the combined result of the written exam and viva (page 2).

Exam dates will be notified separately, and the notice points candidates to the High Court website. It says no separate call letters will be given, and no claim of being unaware of the dates will be accepted. No TA/DA (travel or daily allowance) is paid (page 4).

Domicile, dismissal, conviction or a second spouse: who the JKHC notification turns away

• not holding J&K domicile or a Ladakh resident certificate, or not being an Indian citizen;
• dismissal from service by any government, union territory, High Court or statutory or local body;
• conviction for an offence, or being debarred by any High Court, Public Service Commission or exam body;
• trying to influence the recruiting authority in any way;
• for a man, having more than one living wife (unless a law allows it); for a woman, marrying a man who already has a wife (page 3).

Filling the JKHC exam portal form with the Annexure-A certificate

1. Open the portal at exams.jklhc.in. The notice says its link would appear on the High Court website from 5 October 2026.
2. Fill in the online form and upload your documents. These are the Class 10 (matric) certificate as proof of birth date, the domicile or residence certificate and the law degree. Add the Annexure-A experience certificate (Annexure-B for serving officers) and a category certificate if you claim one.
3. After submitting the form, pay the fee of Rs 1,200 online. The notice prints no lower fee for any category (page 3).
4. Finish everything, including the fee, by 4 November 2026. The notice prints no closing time.
5. Keep the printout, fee receipt and copies of your documents ready to submit when asked (page 4).

Wrong information can lead to rejection at any stage. Incomplete or late applications, or forms sent by any other mode, will not be considered.

The High Court of Andhra Pradesh runs a Civil Judge (Junior Division) recruitment for law graduates. Applicants from the union territory can also see the JKSSB MTS and Sanitation Worker notice. More listings sit under Jammu and Kashmir jobs, court and judiciary jobs and jobs for graduates.

✍️ 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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