West Bengal Judicial Services Examination 2023-24 (eligibility and syllabus)

West Bengal Judicial Services Examination 2023-24

Law graduates who wish to become members of the subordinate judiciary should write the entry-level exam, which is the Judiciary Exam or the PCS (J) – Provincial Civil Service  (Judicial Examination).

This exam is uniformly divided into 3 stages across all states in India, namely, 

1. Preliminary, 
2. Mains, and 
3. Interview.

The state government, under the supervision of the respective high courts, appoints the members of the subordinate judiciary.

The selection process is further dependent on the yearly vacancies/number of seats.

Judicial services offer several attractive perks that include a handsome salary and privileges, including, among others – rent-free accommodation, fuel allowances, subsidised electricity and water supplies, telephone allowances, and bursaries for children’s education.

Eligibility

1. A citizen of India or such a person of other nationality as declared eligible by Government of India; 
2. A degree in Law from any University or Institution affiliated to any University recognized by the State Government or the Central Government; 
3. Enrolment as an advocate in the roll of Bar Council of any State or Union Territory in India on the date of advertisement for the examination; 
4. Ability to read, write and speak in Bengali (not required for those candidates whose mother tongue is Nepali).
5. Not less than 23 years and not more than 35 years. 
6. The upper age limit is relaxable by 5 years for SC and ST candidates of West Bengal, by 3 years for BC (Non-Creamy Layer) candidates of West Bengal, and up to 45 years of age for Persons with Disabilities having a physical disability of 40% and above, and by 2 years for candidates who have been in government service for at least two years. 

Syllabus

Preliminary examination

The Preliminary Examination will consist of one Objective Type paper containing 200 Multiple Choice Questions. The paper will carry 200 marks, with a negative marking of 0.25 marks. The time allotted to complete this exam is 2 hours and 30 minutes. 

Generically, the syllabus will include questions pertaining to General Knowledge, Indian Evidence Act, Constitution of India Code of Civil Procedure, Criminal Procedure Code, Transfer of Property Act, Indian Penal Code, Jurisprudence and Personal Laws (Hindu Marriage Act, Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, etc.)

A thorough division of the syllabus-to-marks ratio is given below:

1. English Composition: 30 marks.
2. General Knowledge, Current Affairs and Test of Reasoning: 40 marks .
3. Indian Constitution: 20 marks.
4. Law of Contracts and Torts: 20 marks 
5. Laws of Evidence: 20 marks 
6. Civil Procedure Codes: 20 marks 
7. Criminal Procedure Code and Indian Penal Code: 20 marks 
8. Personal Law: 10 marks 
9. Law of Limitation: 20 marks 

Syllabus for Preliminary Examination: 

Questions on English Composition will cover synonyms, antonyms, idioms and phrases, vocabulary test, phrasal verbs, the same words bearing more than one meaning, use of appropriate and qualifying words etc. 

Mains examination (written examination)

The Main Examination will consist of eight compulsory papers and three papers on optional subjects to be chosen by the candidates from the list of Optional Subjects. These will be held conventionally, i.e., in written mode. Each compulsory and Optional paper will carry 100 marks and with a time duration of 3 hours.

Compulsory Papers

1. English Composition, essay, précis writing ; 
2. Bengali/Hindi/Urdu/Nepali/Santali composition, essay and translation from English into Bengali/Hindi/Urdu /Nepali/Santali ; 
3. General Knowledge and Current Affairs ; 
4. Civil procedure Code ; 
5. Criminal Procedure Code and Indian Penal Code ; 
6. Indian Evidence Act ; 
7. Law of Contracts and Torts and 
8. Transfer of Property Act. 

Optional papers (any three to be chosen) : 

1. Hindu Law ; 

2. Muhammadan Law ; 

3. Jurisprudence and principles of legislation ; 

4. Indian Law relating to Companies and Insurance ; 

5. Principles of Equity including the Law of Trusts and Specific Relief ; 

6. Partnership Act ; 

7. Law of Limitation and Law of Prescription ; 

8. The Indian Constitution and Constitutional Law. 

Interview/ Personality Test (100 marks)

This particular part of the examination will include questions ranging from both national and international issues. The subjects in the main examination are also included in the interview.