Telangana HC quashes plea against rules for recruitment of civil judge

HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court, comprising Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice N Tukaramji, has dismissed a batch of six writ petitions, challenging the constitutionality of certain provisions within the Telangana State Judicial Service Rules, 2023.

The petitions, filed by Thedlapu Dipsikha and five others, contested the legality of Rule 2(k) and Rule 5.2(A), which set forth the age limit for candidates applying for the post of civil judge (junior division), as well as provisions restricting participation to only advocates practising in Telangana and requiring a certificate of practice from the bar association concerned.

Senior counsel Harender Pershad, representing the high court, argued that the rules were well within the administrative prerogative and aimed at ensuring the competence and suitability of candidates for judicial service. He highlighted a recent division bench ruling in the case of Bodugula Brahmaiah, which upheld similar contentions regarding Rule 2(k) pertaining to the definition clause.

Pershad emphasised the necessity of obtaining a certificate of practice to verify active legal practice and defended the age limits as a reasonable policy decision. The bench said the challenged provisions did not violate constitutional standards. They underscored the importance of allowing employers to fix criteria for eligibility, including age limit, based on the needs and objectives of the judicial service.