Karnataka High Court Civil Judge Recruitment 2026 for 90 Posts: Apply Online

Recruitment overview and important dates

The High Court of Karnataka has released Civil Judge Recruitment 2026 under Notification No. HCRB/CJR 09/2026. The notification was published on 16 April 2026 and the application process is online only.

If you are planning to apply, do not wait for the last date. The application requires personal, educational, practice and category details along with document uploads and fee payment.

Vacancy details for 90 Civil Judge posts

The recruitment is for 90 Civil Judge posts. The vacancy position includes both fresh and backlog posts.

The vacancy table circulated with the recruitment notice shows category-wise distribution across General Merit, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OBC categories, with horizontal reservations to be applied as per government orders. Candidates should read the official notification carefully before selecting category and reservation claims in the online form.

Eligibility criteria and minimum qualification

The minimum academic requirement is a Degree in Law granted by a university established by law in India. This is the core qualification for applying to the Civil Judge post.

In addition to the law degree, as on the last date fixed for receipt of applications, the candidate must satisfy the experience condition mentioned in the recruitment notice. The notification states that the candidate must have been practicing as an advocate for not less than three years continuously, or must have been working as a Public Prosecutor, Assistant Public Prosecutor, or Government Counsel for not less than three years.

• Minimum qualification: Degree in Law
• Experience: At least 3 years of eligible practice or specified legal service
• Citizenship: Candidate must be a citizen of India

If you are newly enrolled or your practice period does not fully meet the required length as on the closing date, you should not assume eligibility. Check your enrollment and practice records before applying.

Age limit and category-wise relaxation

The maximum age limit is counted as on the last date fixed for receipt of applications. The category-wise upper age limits published for this recruitment are as follows.

Applicants should use the exact category they are entitled to under the notification and must be ready to support it with valid certificates wherever applicable.

Application fee for preliminary and main examination

The recruitment uses separate fee slabs for the preliminary examination and the main written examination. Candidates should note that the mains fee applies at the later stage to those who move forward in the process.

The available recruitment summary states that the fee is payable online through SBI e-Pay modes such as net banking, debit card, credit card or UPI. Once paid, candidates should keep the fee receipt safely for future reference.

Selection process and exam pattern

The Karnataka High Court Civil Judge selection process is structured in stages. The preliminary examination works as the screening stage, followed by the main written examination and then viva-voce for shortlisted candidates.

• Stage 1: Preliminary Examination
• Stage 2: Main Written Examination
• Stage 3: Viva-voce

Based on the published recruitment details, the preliminary examination is objective type for 100 marks. The main written examination includes four papers of 100 marks each: Translation Paper, Law Paper I, Law Paper II and Law Paper III.

The published qualifying standard shows 50 marks in prelims for SC, ST and PwBD candidates and 60 marks for others. For the main written examination, the minimum qualifying marks per paper are stated as 40 for SC, ST and PwBD candidates and 50 for others. Later-stage scheduling is not yet announced.

Step-by-step process to apply online

The application is to be submitted online through the Karnataka judiciary recruitment system. There is no offline form for this recruitment. Use the following sequence to avoid mistakes.

1. Open the official Karnataka judiciary website and go to the Civil Judge recruitment notification.
2. Enter the online application system through the recruitment link.
3. Register using a valid mobile number and email ID.
4. Log in and fill personal details, communication details, category details and law qualification details.
5. Enter practice or eligible service details carefully, because this is a core eligibility condition.
6. Upload photograph, signature and required supporting documents in the specified format.
7. Pay the preliminary examination fee through the available online payment system.
8. Review the form before final submission.
9. Submit the application and download or print the confirmation page for record.

Avoid last-day submission because server traffic, payment failure or document-format issues can create unnecessary problems.

Documents and details to keep ready before applying

Before starting the form, keep your information and scanned files ready. This reduces data-entry errors and helps you finish the application in one sitting.

• Recent passport-size photograph
• Signature image in the required format
• Law degree and related academic records
• Enrollment and practice details
• Practice certificate or eligible service proof, wherever required
• Category or reservation certificate, if applicable
• PwBD certificate, if applicable
• Identity proof and communication details
• Payment method for online fee submission

At later stages such as document verification or viva-voce, original records are usually required. Make sure the information entered online exactly matches your certificates and service or practice documents.

Admit card, answer key, result and later recruitment updates

As of now, the High Court has issued the 2026 recruitment notification and application schedule, but the dates for preliminary examination, main written examination, admit card release and result publication have not yet been announced.

For tracking later updates, candidates should watch the Civil Judge recruitment page on the Karnataka judiciary website. In the 2025 Civil Judge recruitment cycle, the same recruitment section was used to publish the eligible candidate list, admit card link, provisional answer key, scanned OMR viewing link, score sheet, mains fee payment instructions, mains admit card, viva-voce intimation and final selection list.

This means the safest approach is to monitor the official recruitment page regularly instead of relying on third-party summaries after you submit the application.

Salary, probation and service conditions

The post carries the Civil Judge pay scale of Rs. 77,840 to Rs. 1,36,520. This is one of the first details candidates check because it directly affects long-term career planning in the Karnataka judicial service.

• Pay scale: Rs. 77,840 - Rs. 1,36,520
• Nature of appointment: Regular appointment subject to probation
• Probation: Two years, or extended period if necessary
• Training: Compulsory training of not less than one year before presiding over the court

Applicants should also understand that judicial service appointments come with strict scrutiny of eligibility, certificates, practice claims and reservation claims. So it is important to treat the application as a formal legal recruitment process, not just an online form submission.

Official Links

• High Court of Karnataka Official Website
• High Court Recruitment Notifications
• Civil Judge Recruitment Page
• Official Notification PDF