A Delhi subordinate judiciary Civil Judge is one of the most prestigious jobs most law students aspire to become. Although the job comes with its own responsibilities, it’s an honour for every law student to become a judge. The DJS exam is one of the most challenging exams to crack, but with proper preparation and guidance, one can smoothly crack the exam. In this blog, we will provide you with complete advice and preparation strategy for preparing the DJS Exam syllabus and fully preparing to ace the highly competitive exam.
The DJS Exam is conducted by the Delhi High Court in three stages, i.e., Prelims, Mains, and Interview. The exam pattern of prelims is objective type, and of mains is subjective.
If you are serious about clearing the DJS Exam, it is important to start preparing early and develop a comprehensive study plan. This blog post will provide a complete guide on how to prepare for the DJS Exam, covering everything from the exam pattern and syllabus to the best study materials and preparation tips.
DJS Exam Pattern And Syllabus
Prelims Exam Syllabus
- The Preliminary Examination will be a qualifying test to assess the candidate’s general legal knowledge, aptitude, power of expression, English language skills, and knowledge of objective-type legal problems and solutions. It will consist of one paper of multiple choice questions carrying a maximum of 200 marks.
- General Knowledge: Legal Current Affairs, Polity GK
- Civil Law: The Constitution of India, The Code of Civil Procedure, 1908; The Indian Evidence Act, 1872; The Indian Contract Act, 1872; The Limited Liability Partnership Act, 2008; The Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996; The Specific Relief Act, 1963, The Limitation Act, 1963, and The Commercial Courts Act, 2015
- Criminal Law: The Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, The Indian Penal Code, The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012
Mains Exam Syllabus
- General Legal Knowledge (250 Marks).
- Language paper: (Essay, Translation, and Precis Writing)This Language Paper (English) is designed to evaluate your knowledge and proficiency in English language skills.
- It tests your ability to understand and express ideas clearly and effectively. The Language Paper consists of two passages for translation, one in English and the other in Hindi.
- You must translate the English passage into Hindi using Devanagari Script.
- Points may be deducted for grammar, vocabulary, and sentence structure errors. Overall, the Language Paper is essential to the Delhi Judiciary Exam and requires thorough preparation. (150 Marks)
Law
Civil Law I:
Civil Law-I The Indian Contract Act, 1872; The Sale of Goods Act, 1930; The Transfer of Property Act, 1882; The Specific Relief Act, 1963; Hindu Law; Mohammedan Law; The Delhi Rent Control Act, 1958; Law of Torts; The New Delhi Municipal Council Act, 1994; The Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957 and The Commercial Courts Act, 2015. (200 Marks)
Civil Law II:
The Code of Civil Procedure, 1908; The Indian Evidence Act, 1872; The Limitation Act, 1963; The Registration Act, 1908; The Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996; The Trade Marks Act, 1999 and The Copyright Act, 1957. (200 Marks)
Criminal Law:
Criminal Law The Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973; The Indian Penal Code, The Indian Evidence Act, 1872; The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005; The Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881; The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 and The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. (200 Marks)
Also Read: Delhi Judiciary Syllabus 2024 (DJS Pre & Mains Syllabus)
How To Prepare For The Delhi Judiciary Exam
To prepare for the exam holistically, start the preparation at the earliest so that nothing is left behind during the revision of the syllabus. The preparation for the DJS exam should be done in a manner that makes you confident about acing the exam.
- Maintain familiarity with law: Regularly studying law subjects and maintaining familiarity with legal terminology are essential for success in the Delhi Judiciary Exam.
- Daily Revision: Consistent revision and a deep understanding of the key concepts in each section are crucial factors in achieving a high score.
- Start early: The DJS Exam is a vast syllabus, so it is important to start preparing early. Give yourself at least six months to prepare for the exam.
- Make a study plan: Create a plan covering all the syllabus subjects. Make sure to allocate enough time to each subject.
- Consistency: Be consistent with your studies and stick to your study plan.
- Use the right study materials: Use the right materials, including bare acts, textbooks, and previous year papers.
- Solve practice questions: Solve as many practice questions as possible. This will help you to identify your strengths and weaknesses and to improve your time management skills.
- Take mock tests: Take mock tests regularly to assess your preparation and to identify areas where you need to improve.
Delhi Judiciary Preparation Tips For Prelims Exam
- First, you should equip yourself with the paper pattern for the prelims stage.
- Before starting your preparation, you should also be thorough with the Delhi judiciary prelims exam syllabus.
- The most crucial aspect is that you should have a thorough understanding of Bare Acts of all subjects.
- The questions asked in the prelims exam of DJS are mostly from bare acts. So, you should thoroughly understand the bare acts from the first to the last part.
- For general knowledge and current affairs, read leading newspapers daily and monthly GK magazines, which provide comprehensive material on world and Indian current affairs.
- For newspapers, you can refer to The Hindu; for monthly current affairs, refer to Pratiyogita Darpan magazine.
- Stay abreast of recent legal developments by regularly reviewing the latest rulings and amendments issued by the Supreme Court and Delhi High Court.
- Before starting your preparation, you should know your strengths and weaknesses and work more diligently on your weaknesses.
- You should also practise the previous year’s question papers to be aware of the pattern of questions.
- Below, we are providing some questions for you to get an understanding of the pattern from various previous year question papers:
Q.1. ‘A’ filed an FIR, giving details of a crime that he had committed. There were no exculpatory statements in the FIR, and gave all the details regarding the commission of the crime. Which of the following statements is accurate (DJS (Prelims) Examination, 2018)
(a) the FIR is hit by Section 25 of the Indian Evidence Act and hence is inadmissible as evidence. However, the fact that ‘A’ filed the FIR is admissible under Section 8 of the Indian Evidence Act.
(b) since the FIR is confessional in nature, the fact that ‘A’ filed the FIR is also not admissible in evidence.
(c) FIR including confession is admissible under the Indian Evidence Act as it was voluntary and before arrest.
(d) it is admissible under Section 32(3) of the Indian Evidence Act.
Answer – a
Q.2. Fill in the blank with the most appropriate word: “Having heard counsel, I express my ……….. .. with the findings recorded by the court below.” (DJS (Prelims) Examination, 2018)
(a) assent
(b) approval
(c) consent
(d) concurrence
Answer- d
Q.3. ‘A’ had a step-child whom he wanted to kill. For this purpose, he gave ‘B’, who was taking care of the child, a piece of cake, which had poison in it, and asked ‘B’ to feed the child the cake. ‘B’, however, ate the cake himself and died as a result. Which of the following statements is accurate: (DJS (Prelims) Examination, 2019)
(a) ‘A’ will be liable for the offence of murder.
(b) ‘A’ will not be liable for the offence of murder.
(c) ‘A’ will be liable for abetment to murder.
(d) ‘A’ will be liable for conspiracy to commit murder
Answer- a
Q.4. Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 statutorily mandates that a Judicial Magistrate shall record statement of the person against whom offence has been committed: (DJS (Prelims) Examination, 2019)
(a) under any Section of the Indian Penal Code.
(b) for all offences punishable with life imprisonment.
(c) in all cases where the accused moves an application for the said purpose.
d) for cases punishable under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code.
Answer- d
Q.5. . A document claimed to be a Will shall not be used as evidence: DJS (Prelims) Examination, 2019
(a) All attesting witnesses have been called to prove its execution,
(b) All attesting witnesses alive and subject to the process of the Court and capable of giving evidence have been called for the purpose of proving its execution.
(c) One attesting witness at least has been called for the purpose of proving its execution, if there be an attesting witness alive, and subject to the process of the Court and capable of giving evidence.
(d) It has been registered in accordance with the provisions of the Indian Registration Act 1908.
Answer – c
Q.6. For leading secondary evidence: (DJS (Prelims) Examination, 2019)
(a) Moving an application seeking permission, therefore, immediately after admission/ denial of documents before framing issues, is essential.
(b) An application seeking permission of the Court is to be filed before the commencement of evidence of the party seeking to lead secondary evidence.
(c) No application seeking permission from the court is necessary.
d) Application seeking permission, if not filed earlier, can be filed even after the conclusion of evidence
Answer- c
Q.7. The court has issued a commission for recording of evidence in a suit by appointing a Local Commissioner. The counsel for the plaintiff raises objections to certain questions put by the counsel for the defendant to the plaintiff’s witnesses in cross-examination. The Commissioner:
(a) Is necessarily required to stall further recording evidence and to refer the said objections to the court decision thereof.
(b) Is empowered to decide the said objections and proceed with the recording of evidence.
(c) Is empowered to decide the said objections only if there is no bar in the order of the Court issuing the commission to the Commissioner deciding the said objections.
(d) Is required to record the said objections and ask the witness to answer the question so objected to without prejudice to the plaintiff’s right to have the said objection decided from the Court at the time of final arguments in the suit.
Answer- d
Q.8. Section 303 of the Indian Penal Code was struck down as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in the case of:
(a) Bachan Singh v. State of Punjab
(b) Mithu v. State of Punjab
(c) Brij Mohan v. State of Rajasthan
(d) Machhi Singh v. State of Punjab
Answer – b
Q.9. Under what provision of CPC can a court examine the parties to the suit?
(a) Order 10
(b) Order 12
(c ) Order 18
(d) Order 15
Answer- a
Also Read: Time Management for Judiciary Exam Preparation (Expert Tips)
Delhi Judiciary Preparation Tips For Mains Exam
For the main exam, be diligent with your preparation and always have a strategy for main preparation early on only. You can also start preparing for the exam through the main perspective. That way, you will also complete your prelims preparation in no time.
- The analysis of the syllabus should be done carefully. The scoring and more weightage subjects should be prepared by you thoroughly. The subjects whose marks weightage is around 1-2 marks should also be done. But scoring subjects with more weightage of marks should be done with extra effort.
- You should have note-making habits instilled in you while studying the subjects. The study materials should be revised every day at the end of the day so that you can grasp whatever you have studied the whole day.
- Your note-making and answer-writing notebook should be different because answer-writing should be prepared as a separate section to ace the main exam.
- Don’t mug up the topics or legal provisions for essay writing; write from your knowledge gained from current legal affairs. The examiner doesn’t check how many provisions you have mugged up but how much knowledge you have about legal issues. They want to know your opinion/personal perspective on a particular topic.
- The answer-writing should be done through analysis of the objective of the question. Also, before writing the answer, disintegrate the question into parts so that you have an understanding of how to frame the answer. Start with a brief introduction, then start with framing the second part of the answer. And gradually complete the answer accordingly.
- While attempting problem-related questions, frame your answers like a judgement-writing; first, start with brief facts, then state the issues and legal provisions and complete with your own decision, and last, state the reason for your decision.
- Revise regularly the answers that you have prepared on different topics so that you have a regular grasp of the answers.
- Below, we are providing some questions for you to get an understanding of the pattern from various previous year question papers:
Section – General Legal Knowledge
Write short notes in about 200 words on any six of the following:
Q.1. The administration of GST and its benefits to the Central Government.
Q.2. The highlights of the recent Karnataka High Court’s Hijab verdict.
Q.3. The refugees problem and the provisions of international law.
Q.4. The petition filed by Shah Bano and the significance of the verdict and orders given by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in
Q.5. The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958.
Q.6. The Weapons of Mass Destruction (Amendment) Bill, 2022.
Q.7. The split verdict of the Delhi High Court on 11th May 2022 on Marital Rape and the two differing viewpoints of the judges.
Q.8. The New Liquor Policy of the Delhi Government; the major changes and what they mean for the vendors and consumers.
Section – language
Q.1. An education system divided by Internet inequity during the COVID-19 Pandemic and its long-term impact on India’s youth and economy
Q.2. Nothing is impossible if there is a political will.
Q.3. Social media is making us asocial.
Q.4. There is no better test of a government’s excellence than its judicial system’s efficacy.
Q.5. In 2021, India slipped 28 places to rank 140th among 156 countries in the World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Report 2021. What does this mean for India and how can this gap be bridged?
Delhi Judiciary Preparation Tips For Interview
In the interview stage, your speaking skills and your personality are assessed.
- The panel of interviewers assesses your state when you are under pressure.
- They are well equipped so that you have enough knowledge about the law, so they assess your personality and if you can perform well under pressure.
- So be prepared to get any type of question, and while answering questions, don’t get scared and nervous.
- Always expand your horizons while preparing for the interview stage, as it involves many questions from various areas of study and life.
- You should always know about different subject areas, be it Hindi or English literature, as it develops your analytical skills and overall personality.
Important Study Materials And Books For The DJS Exam Preparation
There are several study materials available for the DJS Exam. Some of the most popular books and resources include:
- The first and foremost study material is Bare Acts. The bare acts are crucial in preparing for your DJS exam. Bare acts are essential for a basic understanding of the subject, and many questions come from plain acts provision.
- Textbooks: Many good books are available for each subject in the syllabus. Textbooks work as a reference to the bare acts to understand the provisions in a precise manner.
- Previous Year Papers: Solving previous year papers is one of the best ways to prepare for the DJS Exam.
- Mock Test: To assess your preparation and strategy, you should attempt mock tests regularly while preparing for the DJS Exam. It will enhance your practice, and you will be able to attempt the exam in a better way.
Important Books for DJS Preparation
| BOOK NAME | AUTHOR | ABOUT THE BOOK |
| Constitutional Law of India | JN Pandey | This book will provide a holistic coverage of the whole syllabus. After thoroughly going through the bare act, you should refer to this book for an in-depth understanding of the subject. The book covers all significant landmark judgments with proper analysis that will help you greatly in your preparation. |
| Indian Constitution Law | MP Jain | This book can also be referred to as the constitution subject as it will give you an in-depth understanding. |
| The Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 | C.K. Takwani | This book covers comprehensive explanations of every provision with illustrations of case laws. The book clears the concept of complex provisions where many get stuck. The case law briefs given are also in simple language to make understanding the concept manageable. |
| The Indian Evidence Bare Act | ||
| The Evidence Act, 1872| | Batuklal | The book on the Evidence Act by Batuklal is in easy-to-understand language, which will cover all the intricacies of provisions related to the Evidence Act. The book will provide proper explanations and case briefs to understand the provisions precisely. |
| The Indian Penal Code, 1860 | T. Bhattacharya | This book covers the syllabus with a proper analysis of case laws and illustrations to better understand the complex provisions. The book will help you to gain in-depth knowledge of the subject of IPC. You should refer to this book only after thoroughly reviewing the bare act. |
| The Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 | Ratanlal & Dhirajlal | The criminal law reference books should be considered carefully. You cannot refer to any criminal manual for reference, and you must be careful when referring to any book for guidance. The above-mentioned book covers the provisions of IPC and CrPC thoroughly with complete explanations of the case laws and illustrations. |
| Contract and Specific Relief | Avtar Singh | The Contract Act is one of the important subjects from which many questions are asked. The above-mentioned book will significantly help as it covers the provisions, case laws, and conceptual explanation of sections. The Bare Act and simultaneously referring to this book will clear your concepts in a proper way. |
| Law of Tort | R.K. Bangia | The law of tort is one of the most important subjects and should be appropriately prepared by you. This book is the sure shot way to understand the law of tort in depth, which will help you understand the subject properly. The book covers leading foreign judgments to understand the topic better. It will help you prepare as it comes in a simple language that is also easy to understand. |
| Family Law in India | Paras Diwan | Understanding the subject of family law is not that tough. Still, various judicial exams ask tricky questions to test your in-depth knowledge about the subject. For being able to give answers to tricky questions, this book is best to prepare for family law. The book is prepared in simple language with easy-to-understand concepts and illustrations. |
| The Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 | N.V. Paranjape | This book covers comprehensive explanations of every provision with illustrations of case laws. The book clears the concept of complex provisions where many get stuck. The case law briefs given are also in simple language so that understanding the concept does not get time-consuming. |
Also Read: Delhi Judiciary Books 2024 (Best Books for DJS Exam)
Delhi Judiciary Preparation Tips
Clearing the DJS Exam is not easy, but it is possible with hard work and dedication. Follow the preparation tips in this blog post to prepare for the exam and increase your chances of success.
- Focus on understanding the concepts: Don’t just try to mug up the laws. Focus on understanding the concepts so that you can apply them to different situations.
- Make notes: Make notes as you study. This will help you to revise the material more easily.
- Discuss with friends: Discuss the material with friends and classmates. It will help you to understand the concepts better and to identify any areas where you need clarification. It will also enhance your speaking skills, which will be helpful while preparing for the interview stage.
You can also refer to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@LawPrepJudiciary, where renowned faculty prepare you for the exam.
All the best, and work hard!
