# Judicial recruitment freeze leaves Indian law graduates in limbo 2026-08-06T18:41:00+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The Supreme Court’s review of the mandatory three-year practice rule for entry-level Civil Judge exams has left judicial recruitment across several states on hold, Bar and Bench reports. The court reserved its judgment on July 28 after hearing arguments from High Courts, candidates and interveners. Bihar and Odisha postponed preliminary exams, while recruitment drives in Maharashtra, Kerala and Manipur stalled. The uncertainty followed the court’s February decision to hear review petitions in open court and consider how the rule should operate. Bar and Bench says the freeze conflicts with the Supreme Court’s 2006 direction in Malik Mazhar Sultan, which required annual recruitment schedules for judicial vacancies. It also reports irregularities in Uttar Pradesh’s 2022 civil judge recruitment, where the UPPSC admitted that answer sheets of 50 candidates had been interchanged after an RTI-based challenge. The article says repeated postponements are eroding aspirants’ confidence. ## Coverage - barandbench.com Tags: judicial recruitment, judiciary, law graduates, Supreme Court, UPPSC Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/judicial-recruitment-freeze-leaves-indian-law-graduates-in-limbo/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/judicial-recruitment-freeze-leaves-indian-law-graduates-in-limbo/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.