From our research
What this interview looks like
The judicial service interview is a viva voce taken after the mains by a board constituted by the High Court or the State Public Service Commission. The board is usually three to five members: a sitting or retired High Court judge presiding, a district judge or the Registrar General, a law professor or a senior advocate, and often a Commission member or a High Court-nominated expert. The interview lasts fifteen to thirty minutes. It opens from the application form, moves to substantive law in the candidate's weaker areas, puts fact situations that require the CPC, the 2023 criminal codes and the Evidence law to be applied on the spot, and tests judicial temperament through ethics and pressure hypotheticals. Marks vary by state, from 35 in Rajasthan to 200 in Haryana and Punjab, and several states fix a minimum qualifying score in the viva. Boards in UP, MP, Rajasthan and Bihar switch between Hindi and English; Gujarat and Maharashtra boards expect comfort in the regional language. The ExamPilot mock compresses this into an eighteen-minute board with the same four movements.
How it is weighted
Viva voce typically carries 50 marks in both states against a mains of 200 marks, with minimum qualifying marks in the viva fixed by the rules; verify the exact figures in the latest Gujarat High Court and MPSC notifications.
Who this is for
Candidates who have cleared the Gujarat High Court's Civil Judge preliminary and mains, or the MPSC Civil Judge Junior Division and Judicial Magistrate First Class preliminary and mains conducted for the Bombay High Court. A law degree, enrolment or eligibility for enrolment, and the practice requirement after the Supreme Court's May 2025 ruling apply as per the latest notification. Gujarat requires knowledge of Gujarati; Maharashtra requires Marathi, and both boards may test the regional language in the viva.
The panel focuses on
- Civil law at section level, including the rent control and land revenue codes of Gujarat and Maharashtra
- JMFC work: remand, bail, prohibition act cases, Section 138 NI Act and MACT claims
- Regional language comfort: Gujarati and Marathi terms a board may slip into, alongside English
- Fact situations answered as orders with reasons, in the manner the Bombay and Gujarat High Court boards expect
- Judicial temperament: independence, patience, courtesy to the Bar, integrity
- Recent Supreme Court and High Court judgments on bail, electronic evidence, maintenance and specific performance
Step 1
Pick your subject
The expert on the panel probes these areas at the level of this post. Optional here; you can choose during setup.
Step 2
Choose how you want to be interviewed
1:1 interview
One interviewer runs every round and adapts the focus as you go. Lower pressure; ideal for a first attempt.
Justice Devendra Nath Mishra (Retd.)
Chairperson
Panel interview · 3 members
Most realisticEach member leads their own round and hands over to the next. They hear each other, so a weak answer will be revisited.
Justice Devendra Nath Mishra (Retd.)
Chairperson
Dr. Shalini Venkataraman
Subject expert
Shri Arvind Kelkar
External member
What to expect
5 rounds · 18 minutes
A viva-voce board of the kind that interviews civil judge (junior division) candidates after the mains: a sitting or retired High Court judge in the chair, a district judge or law professor as the subject member, and a senior advocate as the Bar member. The board opens from the candidate's application and legal background, tests substantive law in the candidate's weaker areas, puts a courtroom problem that needs the procedure and evidence codes applied on the spot, and then probes judicial temperament through ethics and pressure hypotheticals. Boards in UP, MP, Rajasthan and Bihar routinely switch into Hindi; the mock does the same.
- Round 1
Opening from the application
· 3:00Set a formal but courteous tone as a High Court judge does, open the candidate's background from the application form, and form a first view of composure, honesty and motivation for the Bench.
Justice Devendra Nath Mishra (Retd.)2–3 questionsup to 1 follow-up each - Round 2
Substantive law
· 6:00Test accurate knowledge of the substantive law in the chosen area, the exact provision and its leading authority, and whether the candidate knows the limits of their knowledge.
Dr. Shalini Venkataraman3–4 questionsup to 2 follow-ups each - Round 3
Procedure in the courtroom
· 4:00Put a fact situation that a civil judge or magistrate faces on a working day and see whether the candidate can apply the CPC, the BNSS and the BSA to it: the correct stage, the provision, the burden, the order and the reasons.
Shri Arvind Kelkar1–2 questionsup to 2 follow-ups each - Round 4
Judicial temperament
· 4:00Assess independence, integrity, patience and fairness through hypotheticals a young judge actually faces: pressure from the Bar or a senior, a relative or politician seeking a favour, an unrepresented litigant, a mistake in a signed order, or a violent scene in a crowded court.
Justice Devendra Nath Mishra (Retd.)1–2 questionsup to 2 follow-ups each - Round 5
Closing
· 1:00Close the board formally, without feedback or any hint of the result.
Justice Devendra Nath Mishra (Retd.)1–1 questions
Sample questions
Judicial Services Gujarat / Maharashtra Judiciary interview questions
Questions panels commonly ask in the Judicial Services Gujarat / Maharashtra Judiciary interview, with what a strong answer covers. Practise them aloud with the AI panel.
- Prohibition cases
As a JMFC in Gujarat, police produce a person caught transporting liquor and seek custody. What will you consider under the state's prohibition law and the BNSS?
What a strong answer covers
Checks the quantity and nature of the offence under the Gujarat Prohibition Act, whether arrest and seizure procedures were followed, whether the panchnama and seizure are properly recorded, and whether custody is necessary or bail is appropriate, giving reasons. Avoid remanding mechanically because the state treats prohibition strictly.
- Motor accident claims
In a motor accident claim, the insurer argues the driver had no valid licence. Does that end the claimant's case against the insurer?
What a strong answer covers
Explains that the claimant's right to compensation is not defeated, and courts have applied the pay and recover principle in suitable cases, where the insurer pays the third party and recovers from the owner, depending on proof of breach of policy conditions. Avoid dismissing the claim for the driver's fault alone.
- Personal law
What did the Supreme Court decide in Shayara Bano, and what did Parliament enact afterwards?
What a strong answer covers
The Court held instant triple talaq, talaq-e-biddat, invalid. In 2019 Parliament passed a statute protecting the marriage rights of Muslim women that declared such pronouncement void and made it an offence. Avoid misdescribing the judgment as banning all forms of talaq or as a uniform civil code ruling.
- Contract law
A contract to pay money for influencing a government officer to grant a licence is sued upon. How do you deal with it?
What a strong answer covers
Holds the agreement void under Section 23 of the Contract Act because its object is unlawful and opposed to public policy, so it cannot be enforced, and discusses whether money paid can be recovered given the parties' fault. Avoid enforcing it on the basis of a signed agreement.
- Regional language
तुम्ही महाराष्ट्रातील कोणत्या जिल्ह्यातून आहात? तिथल्या कोर्टात कोणत्या प्रकारचे खटले जास्त येतात?
What a strong answer covers
Answers comfortably in Marathi or switches politely to English if needed, names the district accurately, and describes common litigation such as land, cooperative society, cheque bounce or matrimonial disputes. Shows comfort with the regional language that the board values. Avoid freezing or pretending fluency you lack.
- Civil procedure
A suit is filed on the same cause of action that was dismissed on merits in an earlier suit between the same parties. What principle applies, and what will you do?
What a strong answer covers
Applies res judicata under Section 11 of the CPC: the matter directly and substantially in issue was heard and finally decided by a competent court between the same parties, so the later suit is barred; the court examines pleadings and earlier judgment before dismissing. Avoid applying it without checking the earlier decision.
- Rent law
Under the Maharashtra Rent Control Act, a landlord says the tenant has sublet the premises without consent. What will you need to see before ordering eviction?
What a strong answer covers
Evidence of subletting such as exclusive possession by a third party, payment of consideration, and absence of the landlord's consent, along with the tenancy relationship, applying the grounds and procedure under the Act. Avoid treating a relative's stay as subletting automatically or quoting sections you are not sure of.
- Access to justice
How would you deal with a litigant who speaks only Gujarati when the documents and pleadings are in English?
What a strong answer covers
Ensures the litigant understands the proceedings, uses the court interpreter or explains in Gujarati, records statements correctly, and ensures translations of key documents, maintaining fairness. Avoid proceeding without the litigant's understanding.
- Suits against government
A resident sues the municipal corporation to stop demolition of his shop and wants an urgent injunction today. What procedural requirement for suits against public bodies must you consider?
What a strong answer covers
Considers Section 80 of the CPC, which requires prior notice of two months for suits against the government or public officers, with the court's leave allowing urgent interim relief without notice after hearing the other side, and checks any notice requirement in the municipal statute. Avoid ignoring notice rules or granting relief without reasons.
Reading is not rehearsing. Answer these out loud to an AI Judicial Services Gujarat / Maharashtra Judiciary panel that follows up like the real one.
Practise these questionsMeet the panel
Your AI interviewers
Distinct personas, voices and questioning styles, briefed on this post.
Justice Devendra Nath Mishra (Retd.)
ChairChairperson
Former Judge, High Court; chairs judicial service selection boards
Formal, patient, unhurried, impossible to flatter.
Male voice · 3 languages
Dr. Shalini Venkataraman
Subject expert
District and Sessions Judge; formerly Professor of Law, National Law University
Precise, academic, quietly demanding.
Female voice · 3 languages
Shri Arvind Kelkar
External member
Senior Advocate; former Chairman, State Bar Council
Brisk, practical, sharp but fair.
Male voice · 4 languages
Languages
Answer in the language you think in
The panel asks in your chosen language. Switch mid-answer if you like.
- English
- हिंदीHindi
- Hinglish (Hindi + English)Hinglish
How scoring works
A report you can act on
Every round is scored on the rubric
Each interviewer scores only the criteria their round covers. Weights add up to your overall score out of 100.
Only what you actually said counts
Feedback quotes your own answers. Rounds you skip show as “Not assessed” rather than a zero.
Communication is always measured
Fluency, clarity, confidence and structure are tracked across the whole interview, in any language.
Pass mark, then a plan
You see the pass mark for this interview, your gaps, and the courses that close them fastest.
Scored on
- Legal knowledge35%
Accurate statement of the law: correct provisions of the BNS, BNSS, BSA, CPC, Contract, Transfer of Property, Specific Relief, Limitation, family and local laws, with the leading Supreme Court authority where one exists. Knows the 2023 criminal codes and their old equivalents. Does not invent sections or misstate a ratio.
- Application & reasoning25%
Takes a fact situation and reasons like a judge: identifies the issue, the governing provision, the burden, the procedure and the order to be passed, in that sequence. Distinguishes what the court can and cannot do at that stage. Handles a changed fact without collapsing.
- Judicial temperament20%
Independence, patience, courtesy and integrity: refuses improper influence, admits not knowing, stays even under a sharp Bar member, is fair to the unrepresented litigant, keeps the Restatement of Values of Judicial Life in mind and does not posture or moralise.
- Communication20%
Short, precise, audible answers in English or Hindi as the board uses; a judgment-like structure to oral reasoning; listens to the full question; does not ramble, bluff or argue with the board.
Pass mark 55 / 100 · Judicial service interview — High Court selection board
Keep exploring
More Judicial Services interviews
- Judicial Services UP PCS-J interviewLaw graduates, 22–35 years
- Judicial Services RJS interviewLaw graduates, 21–40 years
- Judicial Services MP Civil Judge interviewLaw graduates, 21–35 years
- Judicial Services Delhi DJS interviewLaw graduates, up to 32 years (general)
- Judicial Services Bihar / Haryana / Punjab Judiciary interviewLaw graduates, 21–35 years (varies by state)