All India Judges Association v. Union of India: The justice or the discrimination

ABSTRACT The Supreme Court of India reinstated the three-year minimum courtroom practice prior to the entry of Civil Judge (Junior Division) cadre in the recent judgement of All India Judges Association v. Union of India (2024). The ruling emphasises crucial concerns regarding equitable access to the fresh law graduates, women and marginalised aspirants mainly for the purpose of enhancing the competence and professionalism. This paper critically analyse the constitutional, practical, and policy recommendation of the decision comparing with the global perspective of judiciary examination process. Although the practical leaning is imperative, the rigid enforcement of the rule may result in exclusion and delayed access to judicial careers. This paper advocates the idea of harmonisation approach for the structured judicial training, skill-based evaluations and Equitable access routes. It ultimately questions the decision of the apex court that whether it serves the equity, fairness and justice or delays the entry of efficient and intellectual aspirants for the judicial recruitment.