AP High Court District Judge (LDCE) Recruitment 2026

AP High Court District Judge (LDCE) Recruitment 2026 — 30 posts

The High Court of Andhra Pradesh at Amaravati has invited filled-in applications from serving Civil Judges (Senior Division) of the Andhra Pradesh State Judicial Service for 30 posts of District Judge through a Limited Departmental Competitive Examination (LDCE) for the year 2026 (25% quota). This is a departmental examination — only serving Civil Judges (Senior Division) are eligible; it is not open to advocates or the general public. The last date for submission of filled-in applications is 10 November 2026 by 5:00 PM, extended from the original date by ROC.No.365/2026-RC dated 16 October 2026.

Who can apply

You must be a Civil Judge (Senior Division) in the Andhra Pradesh State Judicial Service who has put in not less than 3 years of qualifying service as Civil Judge (Senior Division) by the end of 31 March 2026, and total service of 7 years including service rendered as Civil Judge (Junior Division) and Civil Judge (Senior Division). You must also have completed 35 years of age as on 1 September 2026. No maximum age is stated in the notification. Officers who have committed copying or misconduct in a screening test or written examination, or who have been convicted in a criminal case, compulsorily retired, removed or dismissed, or who are facing disciplinary charges or undergoing punishment for any irregularity, are not eligible.

Vacancies and pay

30 posts in all: OC 23, SC Group-I 1, SC Group-II 2, SC Group-III 2, ST 2. The scale of pay for District Judge is Rs. 1,44,840 to Rs. 1,94,660. The Andhra Pradesh State Judicial (Service and Cadre) Rules, 2026 apply to the recruitment.

Fee

No application fee is mentioned anywhere in the notification. Do not assume any fee.

Selection

If a screening test is held, it is a computer-based test of 100 marks (100 multiple-choice questions, 2 hours); candidates securing 40% and above are shortlisted in the ratio of 1:10 for the written examination. The written examination has three papers of 100 marks each — Paper-I Constitution and Civil Law, Paper-II Criminal Law, Paper-III English (Translation and Essay writing) — each of 3 hours; candidates must secure at least 55% in Paper-I and Paper-II and 60% in aggregate to qualify for viva voce. Paper-III marks do not count for viva voce eligibility or final selection. The viva voce is for 50 marks, and candidates must secure at least 60% in aggregate in the written examination and viva voce for selection. No TA/DA is paid for the screening test, written examination or viva voce.

How to apply

Fill in the pro forma application attached to the notification, attach attested copies of the date-of-birth/SSC and law degree certificates, the community certificate (if claiming SC/ST reservation, showing the group classification), and service certificates in the cadres of Civil Judge (Senior Division) and Civil Judge (Junior Division) issued by the competent authority, with the photograph and signature attested by the concerned Unit Head or Principal District Judge. Submit the filled-in application so that it reaches by 5:00 PM on 10 November 2026. Unsigned applications, applications received after the due date, improperly filled applications and applications without the necessary enclosures are liable to be rejected summarily. Read the official notification and the extension notice linked below in full before applying.