Haryana Civil Judge Exam (HCS Judicial Branch): Pattern, Syllabus, Eligibility and Age Limit

Haryana recruits Civil Judges (Junior Division) through the Haryana Civil Service (Judicial Branch) exam, run by the Haryana Public Service Commission with a selection committee of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The last advertisement, No. 01/2024, offered 174 posts, and no new one has been issued as of October 2026. On 7 August 2026 Haryana amended its rules to require 3 years of practice, a rule now overtaken for the next cycle by the Supreme Court’s August 2026 judgment. Here is the exam under the rules and the 2024 advertisement.

Status

• Last cycle: HCS (Judicial Branch) Exam 2023-24, Advertisement 01/2024 (1 January 2024), 174 posts. Prelims result 9 April 2024, mains result 24 August 2024, final result 16 October 2024.
• Next cycle: no advertisement on the HPSC site as of 24 October 2026.

Eligibility

• Degree: LL.B. from a university established by law and recognised by the Bar Council of India, plus basic computer knowledge.
• Practice: the Haryana amendment of 7 August 2026 requires at least 3 years of practice as an advocate, counted from provisional enrolment and supported by a certificate; law clerk and law researcher experience counts. Two weeks later, the Supreme Court’s Bhumika Trust judgment of 21 August 2026 provided that advertisements issued by 31 March 2027 are open to all law graduates, with one year of certified practice required after that. The rules will need to be amended again. See the practice rule after Bhumika Trust.
• Age: the rules fix 21 to 40 years (45 for SC, ST and BC) or such age as the government fixes. The 2024 advertisement used 21 to 42 years, with relaxations for Haryana SC and BC candidates, persons with disabilities, widows, divorced and unmarried women, and ex-servicemen.
• Hindi: there is a compulsory Hindi paper set at the matriculation standard of the Haryana school board.

Exam pattern

Preliminary exam (2024 advertisement)

• 125 objective questions in 2 hours, each with five options; option E means “not attempted”.
• A fifth of the question’s marks is deducted for every wrong answer and every question left blank. Leaving more than 10 percent of questions unmarked leads to disqualification, so always mark an option, including E.
• Qualifying score: 150 marks (100 for reserved categories other than EWS). Up to 10 times the posts go to mains. Prelims marks do not count in the merit.

Mains: five papers, 3 hours each, bare Acts supplied

Viva-voce

The rules as updated in August 2026 give the viva 200 marks. A paper counts only if you score at least 33 percent in it. To be called for viva you need 50 percent aggregate in the written papers (45 percent for SC, ST and BC), and to be appointed, 50 percent of written plus viva (45 percent for reserved categories).

Syllabus

• Civil Law I: CPC, Punjab Courts Act, Contract Act, Partnership Act, Sale of Goods Act, Specific Relief Act and Evidence. The 2024 advertisement also listed the Haryana Urban (Control of Rent and Eviction) Act, 1973.
• Civil Law II: Hindu law, Muslim law and customary law, and the law of registration and limitation.
• Criminal Law: penal law, criminal procedure and evidence.

New criminal laws

The Haryana rules still name the IPC, CrPC and Evidence Act. These were replaced by the BNS, BNSS and BSA on 1 July 2024, and the next advertisement is likely to reflect that. Prepare the new laws with the old section numbers alongside.

Preparation priorities

• The prelims penalises blanks as well as wrong answers. Practise deciding quickly between attempting and marking E.
• Customary law and the Punjab Courts Act are unique to Punjab and Haryana; give them dedicated time.
• English carries 200 marks; a strong essay can lift your rank considerably.

Prepare with Lexfolio

Every state paper now tests the new criminal laws alongside, or in place of, the old codes. Our New Criminal Laws Guide maps the IPC, CrPC and Evidence Act to the BNS, BNSS and BSA section by section, and the judiciary packs add model answers and judgment digests for mains. Read the practice rule after Bhumika Trust to check whether you can apply in the next cycle.

Sources

• Punjab Civil Service (Judicial Branch) Rules, 1951 as applicable to Haryana, updated to 7 August 2026 (Punjab and Haryana High Court)
• Haryana Public Service Commission, Advertisement No. 01/2024, HCS (Judicial Branch) Examination 2023-24
• HPSC results notices for the 2023-24 cycle
• Supreme Court of India, Bhumika Trust v. Union of India, judgment of 21 August 2026

Last checked: 24 October 2026.