Supreme Court Court Master Recruitment 2026: 20 Gazetted Posts for Stenographers

Stenographers with at least five years of regular service can apply for 20 tentative vacancies of Court Master (Shorthand) in the Supreme Court Registry. This is the Supreme Court Court Master Recruitment 2026, advertised on 15 October 2026 for direct recruitment. It is a gazetted post, which means appointments to it are notified in the official gazette. It sits in Level 11 of the pay matrix (the government pay table), with a starting basic pay of Rs 67,700. The online form runs from 25 October to 15 November 2026 (until 11:55 PM). You need a degree, English shorthand at 120 words per minute (wpm) and typing at 40 wpm. You must be 30 to 45 years old on 1 October 2026, with the usual relaxations. The objective test is tentatively fixed for 7 December 2026.

Supreme Court Court Master Recruitment 2026: a tentative panel of 20 gazetted posts

The Court is preparing a panel to fill 20 tentative vacancies (page 1). The notice says the number may change. The Registry may also cancel, cut down, enlarge or alter the selection process without notice.

Pay is Level 11 of the pay matrix, Rs 67,700 to Rs 2,08,700. You start at a basic pay of Rs 67,700 “plus allowances, as admissible under the Rules”. The advertisement prints no DA (Dearness Allowance) or HRA (House Rent Allowance) figures. So this page does not estimate take-home pay.

The 20 vacancies are not split by category. Reservation follows Rule 4A of the Court’s 1961 service rules for officers and servants (page 2). It covers SC, ST and OBC (Non-Creamy Layer). The notice does not mention EWS (Economically Weaker Sections) reservation.

Paragraph 26 asks every selected candidate to work “even at odd hours and holidays”. You must give an undertaking that you accept this.

Five years as a PA, Senior PA, Private Secretary or Senior Stenographer for the Court Master post

All of these must be true on 1 October 2026:

• you are an Indian citizen;
• you hold a bachelor’s degree from a recognised university in India (no subject is named);
• you can take English shorthand at 120 wpm;
• you can operate a computer and type at 40 wpm;
• you have at least 5 years of regular service as a Private Secretary, Senior PA, PA or Senior Stenographer.

That service must be in a government office, a public sector undertaking (PSU) or a statutory body. Private companies are not in that list. A fresh graduate cannot apply, however fast their shorthand is.

If you have the speed but not the five years, look at the Supreme Court Senior Personal Assistant vacancies at 110 wpm. Its advertisement of 12 October 2026 (No. F.6/11/SPA/2026-SC (RC)) asks for no experience and sets the age at 18 to 30.

Court Master age 30 to 45, with no concession for serving government and PSU stenographers

You must be at least 30 and not above 45 on 1 October 2026 (pages 1 and 2). So a 29-year-old cannot apply, even with five years of service.

Read the last row carefully. A stenographer who already works in a government office or a PSU gets no extra years for that service. Persons with disabilities are not named in the 2026 relaxation list.

250 marks across objective, shorthand, typing and interview, with no negative marking

The scheme on pages 2 and 3 has four stages. You must reach the minimum in each one.

The objective paper has 25 questions each on General English, General Knowledge and the provisions on the judiciary in the Constitution of India. It also has 15 questions on the Supreme Court Rules, 2013, and 10 on computer operation. Paragraph 18 says there is no negative marking. So a wrong answer costs you nothing beyond the mark you miss.

Half a mistake for a wrong full stop or capital letter

Up to 5% mistakes are allowed in the transcription. Marks then fall in steps of 10:

• no mistake: 100%;
• up to 1% mistakes: 90%;
• up to 2%: 80%;
• up to 3%: 70%;
• up to 4%: 60%;
• up to 5%: 50%, which is the bare pass mark.

Paragraph 23 counts a wrong full stop as half a mistake. Typing a capital letter for a small one, or the other way round, is also half a mistake. In the typing test, up to 2% mistakes are allowed. A wrong word or figure there is a full mistake, and a punctuation slip is half (paragraph 22).

How up to 200 test-takers become 60 interview candidates

If many candidates score 50 or more in the objective test, the Registry will shortlist by merit (paragraph 20). It will call 10 candidates per tentative vacancy to the shorthand and typing tests. For 20 vacancies, that means up to 200 candidates.

Those who clear all three tests are then called for interview at 3 per vacancy. For 20 vacancies, that means up to 60 candidates. If the vacancy number changes, these counts change with it.

The selected names go on a panel in order of merit. The notice warns that a place on the panel gives no right to appointment.

Rs 1,500 or Rs 750, paid through UCO Bank and never refunded

You pay online only, through the UCO Bank payment gateway (page 3). Paragraph 6 says the fee “will not be refunded under any circumstances”. No category is exempt, and the notice does not list persons with disabilities for the lower fee.

If you object to the answer key, each objection costs Rs 100. That fee comes back only if your objection is found valid (paragraph 19).

Shorthand and typing in Delhi/NCR only, after a first test at 69 centres

Annexure-A lists 69 centres for the objective test, across 23 states and union territories. Three entries combine places: Bhubaneswar/Cuttack, Ahmedabad/Gandhinagar and Delhi/NCR. Uttar Pradesh alone has 11, from Agra to Varanasi. The list also covers Patna, Ranchi, Jaipur, Bhopal, Indore, Raipur, Leh, Guwahati, Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram. You choose cities in order of preference. The Registry may still shift you to another city.

The shorthand and typing tests are held only in Delhi/NCR. The interview will be online or in person in Delhi. No TA or DA (travel and daily allowance) is paid for any test or the interview (paragraph 16).

From the 25 October form opening to the 9 December key objections

Direct recruitment or deputation: the second Court Master notice of 12 October

Three days before this advertisement, the Registry issued another one for the same post. It invites court staff for 15 tentative Court Master posts on deputation (a fixed-term transfer from their own court). Here is how the two routes differ.

Both notices need a degree, 120 wpm shorthand and 40 wpm typing. The direct recruitment notice also requires five years of regular service in the stenographer cadre. The deputation notice accepts either that five years or an analogous post already held on a regular basis.

No law-degree bonus in the 2026 scheme: the July 2025 Court Master notice compared

The previous advertisement, No. F.6/RC(CM)-2025 of 28 July 2025, offered 30 posts: UR (unreserved) 16, SC 4, ST 2 and OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) 8. Its tests were to be held in four cities, Delhi/NCR, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, with typing and the interview in Delhi. Comparing the two files shows these changes:

• Fewer posts: 20 tentative vacancies in 2026, with no category split.
• Many more centres: 69 listed centres for the first test, against 4 cities in 2025.
• New order of tests: in 2025 the shorthand test and a 2-hour written test were set for the same day. Now the 90-minute objective test comes first, and the shorthand and typing tests follow in Delhi/NCR, with a 1:10 shortlist if many candidates qualify.
• One set of pass marks: the 2025 notice gave reserved categories lower minimums (45 in the written test, 5 in typing, 13 in the interview). The 2025 notice also allowed reserved candidates 3% typing mistakes instead of 2%. The 2026 scheme table prints only one set of minimums and a flat 2% for typing. Yet paragraph 3 on page 4 still speaks of reserved candidates who qualify on “relaxed standards”.
• Fee and age help narrowed: the 2025 notice gave persons with disabilities an age relaxation and the Rs 750 fee, and gave dependants of freedom fighters the Rs 750 fee. The 2026 notice names neither group for the lower fee, and does not name persons with disabilities for age relaxation.
• No law degree bonus printed: the 2025 notice gave 3 extra marks to holders of a law degree. The 2026 notice does not mention it.

The Registry’s recruitment page also carries a “List of Qualified Candidates for the Post of Court Master (Shorthand)-2025”. It has four names. The list does not say which advertisement it relates to, or how many posts it was meant to fill.

Ask your employer for the NOC before Court Master document verification

The online link will appear on the Supreme Court recruitments page. Keep these points from pages 3 to 7 in mind:

1. Have scans of your photo, signature, Class 10, Class 12 and graduation certificates, and your experience certificate. Reserved category applicants also upload a caste certificate. OBC applicants also need a non-creamy layer certificate.
2. Enter your name, parents’ names and date of birth exactly as in your Class 10 certificate. A changed name needs a Gazette notification.
3. Pick your category with care. The Registry will not change it later.
4. Check every field before you submit. A submitted form cannot be withdrawn or edited. If you submit twice, only the last form counts.
5. Keep your application number, and keep your own e-mail ID and mobile number active. Test dates come by SMS and e-mail too. Admit cards are only downloaded, never posted.

Do you work in a central or state government office, a nationalised bank or a PSU? Then you must show a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from your employer at document verification (paragraph 24). Ask your office for it early. If you had no job when you applied and get one during the process, you must tell the Recruitment Cell at recruitment.cell@sci.nic.in (paragraph 25). An unsigned application is rejected outright (page 3).

Five questions the 15 October notice leaves open

The advertisement does not answer these points. Do not assume an answer; ask the Registry or wait for a notice on sci.gov.in:

• how the 20 vacancies divide between UR, SC, ST and OBC;
• whether reserved categories still get lower pass marks, as in 2025 (paragraph 3 mentions “relaxed standards” but prints no figures);
• whether a law degree still earns extra marks;
• any age relaxation, fee concession or scribe rule for persons with disabilities;
• the dates of the shorthand test, typing test and interview.

More court jobs are on our judiciary and court recruitment page. Stenographers can also compare the DSSSB Delhi District Courts recruitment for Personal Assistants. For other openings, see all-India government 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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