Advocates can now apply for judge posts after 1-year practice

SC eases civil judge eligibility from 3-year to 1-year practice, but mandates 2 years of training before judges can preside over courtsNEW DELHI: The 20-year-old method for recruiting entry-level trial court judges underwent changes twice in one year as the Supreme Court on Friday relaxed mandatory three-year practice eligibility norm for advocates to apply for judicial officer posts to one-year practice but said they can preside over courts and decide cases only after a two year on-job training.The SC in 1993 had ordered that advocates with three-year practice alone would be eligible to take the tests for posts of civil judges and magistrates. But in 2002, the SC had reversed its decision allowing fresh law graduates to become entry level judicial officers. Significantly, the law commissi