This article, written by Shoronya Banerjee from Amity University, Kolkata discusses the Manipur judicial service examination providing a complete guide of the same.
Table of Contents
Introduction
While in law schools, students generally realize their capabilities, develop interests, and have an idea about what they want to opt for, say a particular field after completion of their law degree. Among these fresh law graduates, several students dream of becoming a judge, the most honored position in the entire legal system, and therefore, sit for the judicial service examinations. These examinations exist for the purpose of acting as an entrance test to the judiciary. It consists of two levels, out of which the first one is for lower judicial services for the law graduates, which is usually conducted by the State Public Service commissions in their respective states but in some states, it is also conducted by the High courts. The second one is for the higher judicial services mainly for the practicing lawyers who have been practicing as an advocate for a minimum period of seven years. The prescribed duration of practice varies as per state.
The Manipur Judicial Service Examination is conducted every year by the Manipur High Court. All information and the notifications are published on the High Court’s official website: hcmimphal.nic.in and/or the website of the state’s public service commission (If the exam is conducted by the PSC) at Manipur Public Service Commission. Recruitment and conditions of service shall be governed by the Manipur Judicial Service Rules, 2005 which is amended in accordance with time.
Eligibility criteria and age limit
- The candidate should be a citizen of India.
- Age limit: On the last date fixed for receipt of applications, the candidate must not exceed the age of 35 Years for Unreserved (UR), 38 Years for OBC(M) / OBC(MP), 40 Years for ST/SC
- Educational Qualification: The candidate must be a holder of a degree in law from a recognized University established by law in India.
- It is desirable that applicants have knowledge of Manipuri / other local languages of Manipur.
Manipur judicial exam pattern and syllabus for Grade III exam
Preliminary examination
This stage of examination usually consists of objective type of questions carrying 100 marks. The syllabus constitutes:
- General knowledge
- Aptitude, English
- Constitution of India
- Code of Civil Procedure
- Criminal Procedure Code
- Transfer of Property Act
- Indian Contract Act
- Indian Penal Code
- Indian Evidence Act
- Law of Torts
- Official languages of the state
Main examination
English – 100 marks
Essay writing
Precis writing
Grammar etc.
General knowledge – 100 marks
Objective type
Aptitude test
Law paper – I – 100 marks
Constitution of India
Code of Civil Procedure
Transfer of Property Act
Indian Contract Act
Law Paper-II – 100 marks
Indian Penal Code
Criminal Procedure Code
Indian Evidence Act
Law of Torts
Viva-voce
It usually carries a maximum of 70 marks.
Number of seats and important dates
The Manipur High Court or the Manipur Public Service Commission organising the Manipur judicial service examinations puts forth a notification everywhere about the number of vacancies/seats. For keeping a tab on how many seats will be available the aspirants must keep a tab of their official websites. Talking about the date for the examinations for the uncertainty about the date of examinations, one must regularly check their official sites for being updated and notified about the exact date for the beginning examinations and the required steps to be taken as well. For both the purposes, one can refer to:
Books to refer
There are several books to follow for the examination, but one must include choosing proper books within their preparation strategy as well since one must be sure of what type of books they are comfortable with. Some suggestions for books to be referred:
- Guide to Judicial Service Examinations by Lawmann’s, Kamal Publishers
- Solved Papers of competitive law exams (A Practice Book for Judicial/HJS/APO or any Law Competitive Exams)- Mahaveer Publications
- Indian Constitutional Law- M. P Jain
- The Code of Criminal Procedure – Ratanlal & Dhirajlal
- The Indian Penal Code – Ratanlal & Dhirajlal
- Civil Procedure with Limitation Act, 1963- C. K Takwani
- LAW OF TORTS including Compensation under the Motor Vehicles Act and Consumer Protection Laws- Dr. R.K.Bangia
- Principles of the law of evidence- Dr. Avtar Singh
- The Transfer of Property Act- Sir Dinshaw Fardunji Mulla
- Law of CONTRACT & Specific Relief- Dr. Avtar Singh
Golden rules to qualify judicial service examination
Managing time and syllabus
Time management is an extremely important facet which is required to prepare for the examination. Judicial examination of every state has a different syllabus. It is very important to be aware of the syllabus of the state for which you are appearing. Once aware of the syllabus, one must plan out a schedule as per time till the examinations to cover the whole syllabus. Preparing a deadline for preparation, preparing notes, revision and re-revision might not seem important but is one of the most important steps in the procedure of preparation.
Self-assessment is the key
If you are not attending any coaching class, then you need to know whether you are on the right track or not. A mock test can really help in this regard. Solving MCQs regularly, after completing one subject is quite a good and necessary habit. But MCQ’s even if necessary, are n0t enough to prepare a candidate completely. In the examination questions may not be divided subject-wise and with time running it is even trickier. Therefore, once a week one must try solving question papers of previous exams from all the states.
Not to run unnecessarily after materials
The internet and market are flooded with materials for general knowledge. We download hundreds of pdfs, apps for current affairs, e-books, etc. Then give one or two readings of those and move on. You should never do it. Go through past year papers of ten years, analyze the questions properly, and then decide which books and sources would be appropriate to you.
Making notes from newspapers
Making daily notes from the newspaper can be monotonous and an individual might not even find it helpful since at the end there will be a sea of information to learn from and get confused. But one can have a separate notebook, to jot down anything important from the essay, mains, or interview point of view. Monthly magazines are helpful, one can read and revise from those thoroughly.
No compromise of health
Never compromise on your health while preparing. Physical exercises such as yoga, stretching, running, and so on can prove to be very helpful. The mind is your biggest tool so take extra care of it. Do meditation regularly, if you don’t know then learn it, no need to be a master of it, simple breathing exercise would suffice. In the long term, it will be beneficial and help in concentrating and warding off negative thoughts. A good diet is also key to good mental health.
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References
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