Not a single candidate has cleared the written test of the competitive examination- 2024 for 45 posts of district judges through direct recruitment from among advocates and judicial officers, according to results data on the Orissa high court website.
The HC had invited applications from law graduates with minimum seven years of practice as advocate and judicial officers having not less than five years of experience in the cadre of civil judge (senior division). Candidates aged between 35 and 45 years were eligible to apply for the posts.
After scrutiny of applications, 283 candidates from across the state were found eligible to appear for the written test for direct recruitment from advocates for 31 posts. Another 83 candidates were found eligible from judicial officers to take the limited competitive examination for 14 posts. The written examination was held on Jan 5.
But in two notices issued by the registrar (examination) on Feb 17 said none of the eligible candidates had qualified in the written examination from among the advocates and judicial officers.
For direct recruitment from advocates, candidates were asked to appear in three papers of 100 marks each. In the judicial officer’s category, the candidates were asked to appear in two papers of 75 marks each. Each paper was of two hours’ duration.
To qualify for the interview round, the candidates were expected to secure a minimum of 50% marks in aggregate in the two written papers with not less than 45% in the individual papers.
According to the results, of the 283 eligible applicants for direct recruitment from among advocates, 180 appeared for the written examination. While only 10 candidates scored above 30 marks in Paper I, only 9 scored above 30 marks in Paper II. In the general English paper, 48 candidates scored above 30 marks.
One paper included the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, personal laws, Transfer of Property Act, Specific Relief Act, Limitation Act, Law of Contract, Odisha Consolidation of Holding and Prevention of Fragmentation of Land Act, Odisha Estate Abolition Act, Odisha Land Reforms Act, law relating to motor accidents and claims, Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 and Commercial Courts Act, 2015.
The other paper included Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 and Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, Indian Penal Code, 1860 and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, Indian Evidence Act, 1872 and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023, Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, Prevention of Corruption Act, Essential Commodities Act, Environment Protection Act, Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention Atrocities) Act, 1989, Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005.
The written examination for advocates had another paper on general English including translation from Odia to English and from English to Odia; a short essay of about 150 words, précis writing of 300 words; and a passage of maximum 500 words with 5 questions.
