Overview

• Setting aside a June 13, 2024 review order of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, the Supreme Court directed that the Civil Judge (Entry Level) recruitment proceed expeditiously under the November 17, 2023 advertisement, finding no basis for a re-exam.
• The bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and A.S. Chandurkar said the High Court exceeded its review jurisdiction and noted that no ineligible candidates were selected as the amended criteria had been applied during the process.
• A five-judge Constitution Bench opened hearings on whether judicial officers who had seven years’ Bar practice before joining service can compete for district judge posts under vacancies reserved for advocates, flagging stagnation in the district judiciary; the matter remains under consideration.
• In parallel recruitment litigation, the njab and HaHaryana High Court upheld the requirement of a 50% aggregate score (with a 40% per paper threshold for viva voce shortlisting) for superior judicial services, affirming the High Court’s authority to set merit benchmarks.
• On case management and transparency, a Supreme Court bench reiterated performance-evaluation guidelines for High Courts and ordered uniform recording of reservation, pronouncement and upload dates, underscoring that reasons must be uploaded within five days when only operative parts are pronounced, subject to a possible 10–15 day revision.