Goa Judicial Service · High Court of Bombay at Goa
Goa skips prelims entirely. Two Mains papers and a Portuguese-era civil code decide it.
There’s no screening test to hide behind — it’s all Mains. We map the two-paper pattern subject-by-subject across five mains papers, Goa’s own land and civil-code law, and the shift to the new criminal codes.
- Conducting body High Court of Bombay at Goa
- Post Civil Judge (Jr. Div.) & JMFC
- Eligibility Law degree + 3 yrs practice, or 55% fresh graduate
- Age 21–35 (25 fresh grads); +5 yrs for backward classes
- Stages Prelims (if held) → Mains → Viva
- Language Mains in Konkani, Marathi or English
Three stages — and the prelims, when held, only screens.
There is no general-studies paper here. Your entire merit is the two mains law papers plus the viva, so the two 100-mark papers carry everything.
Stage 1 · Screening
Preliminary Exam
Objective · MCQ · only if conducted
Held only “if required”, in English. A pure filter — marks do NOT count toward final merit. Clearing it shortlists you for the mains in a 1:10 ratio.
- Total marks
- 100 · objective MCQ
- Counts toward rank?
- No — screening only
- Shortlist ratio
- 1 : 10 for mains
Stage 2 · Selection
Main (Written) Exam
Descriptive · 2 papers
Two papers of 100 marks / 3 hours each — Civil Laws and Criminal Laws. This is where your rank is built. Written in Konkani, Marathi or English.
- Paper I — Civil Laws
- 100 marks · 3 hr
- Paper II — Criminal Laws
- 100 marks · 3 hr
- Total written
- 200 marks
Stage 3 · Final
Viva Voce
Interview · 50 marks
Open only to those scoring ≥50% in EACH mains paper (45% for SC/ST). You must score ≥40% in the viva to be selected. Final merit = mains written + viva.
- Viva marks
- 50
- Gate to enter
- ≥50% per paper (45% SC/ST)
- Viva pass mark
- ≥40% to be selectable
Can you apply? Check this before anything else.
Qualification
A Degree in Law. Either 3 years’ practice as an Advocate, or a fresh graduate who cleared every law exam in the first attempt with ≥55% in the final LLB year.
Age
21–35 years for advocates (25 for fresh graduates, 45 for ministerial staff), as on the advertisement date. Relaxable by 5 years for backward-class candidates.
Bar enrolment / practice
A 3-year practice route exists, but fresh law graduates may also apply on the 55%-first-attempt track — enrolment as an advocate is not strictly required.
Nationality
Must be a citizen of India.
Konkani requirement
You must have sufficient knowledge of the Konkani language to be eligible — it is a hard requirement, not a preference.
Attempts
No attempt limit is specified in the notification — only the age ceiling for your category applies.
The full syllabus, paper by paper.
The prelims, when held, screens on the whole syllabus; the two mains papers — Civil and Criminal — are where your rank is built.
Prelims
Constitution · Contract · Specific Relief · Limitation · Sale of Goods · Partnership · CPC · TPA · Easements · Family Laws in Goa (incl. Hindu & Muslim) · Goa land laws (Tenancy, Mundkars, Buildings Rent) · CrPC · IPC · Evidence · SC/ST Atrocities Act · NI Act.
Mains — 2 papers
- Paper I — Civil Laws (Contract, SRA, Limitation, Sale of Goods, Partnership, CPC, TPA, Easements, Family Laws in Goa, Goa land laws, Constitution)100
- Paper II — Criminal Laws (CrPC, IPC, Evidence, SC/ST Atrocities Act, NI Act, + an ~800-word essay on a current legal topic)100
The mains subjects, ranked by how often they actually appear.
Built from the mains distribution across 2010, 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2019 (75 questions — 31 in Paper I, 44 in Paper II). Goa has no prelims PYQ source and the distribution gives no per-subject counts, so these shares are indicative — they map the “appears in N of 5 papers” signal, not a measured percentage.
CPC & IPC + CrPC core (the procedural engine)
26%Dominant in both papers
CPC: res judicata, rejection of plaint, decree, mesne profits, jurisdiction, review/revision · IPC/BNS: culpable homicide vs murder, common intention, S.498-A · CrPC/BNSS: FIR, cognizance, bail, S.125 maintenance, charge.
Evidence (Paper II) — Evidence Act / BSA
18%In every paper
Burden & standard of proof, dying declaration, confessions & admissions, S.27 recovery, primary/secondary evidence, presumptions (S.90, 114), expert opinion, child witness.
Contract, Specific Relief & Transfer of Property
17%In every Paper I
Contract: competency, undue influence, bailment, indemnity/guarantee, void vs voidable · SRA: specific performance, rescission, cancellation · TPA: lis pendens, part performance, mortgage redemption, election, ostensible owner.
Goa Land Laws + Portuguese / Goa Civil Code
16%State-specific scorer — rising
Mundkars Act (definition, eviction grounds, purchase of dwelling), Agricultural Tenancy Act (right of first purchase), GDD Buildings Lease/Rent Act (fair rent, eviction) · Portuguese Civil Code: Law of Divorce, inventory, Cabes-de-casal, wills, Goa Succession Act 2012.
Sale of Goods, Partnership, Easements & Limitation
13%Steady Paper I supporting cast
Sale: unpaid seller, conditions/warranties, sale by non-owner · Partnership: retirement, holding out, minor partner, non-registration · Easements: necessity, dominant/servient, extinction · Limitation: adverse possession, legal disability.
NI Act, SC/ST Atrocities Act & Constitution
10%Light but live — don’t skip
NI Act S.138 cheque dishonour & holder in due course · SC/ST (PoA) Act victim & witness rights · Constitution Arts. 20 & 22 (each appeared just once — near-gaps, still examinable).
What to study first, and what gives the most marks per hour.
- Do first Judgement writing (civil + criminal)
Guaranteed in both papers every year, ~25–30 marks. Drill issue-framing, evidence appreciation and order-writing before anything else.
- High return CPC · IPC · CrPC · Evidence
The “big six” engine — present in every single paper and carrying the bulk of marks across both the Civil and Criminal papers.
- High return Contract · Specific Relief · TPA
Appear in every Paper I. Predictable, recurring doctrines — leading concepts and exact provisions repeat.
- State edge Goa land laws + Portuguese/Goa Civil Code
Goa’s unique scoring zone, rising in recent papers. Most all-India material skips it — your differentiator.
- Cheap & narrow Sale of Goods · Partnership · Easements · Limitation
Small, repetitive pools in Paper I — a few guaranteed marks for little effort.
- Light but live NI Act · SC/ST Atrocities Act · Constitution
Each thin in the PYQs (some only once), but all in syllabus and confirmed examinable. Don’t leave them blank.
The state-specific edge most all-India material skips.
Portuguese / Goa Civil Code & family law
Goa’s defining trait: it keeps a uniform civil code. The notification says “Family Laws in Goa including Hindu and Muslim Laws”, but the PYQs test the Portuguese Civil Code, the Law of Divorce applicable in Goa, and the Goa Succession, Special Notaries and Inventory Proceedings Act, 2012 — inventory proceedings, Cabes-de-casal (head of family), disinheritance, public/closed wills, marriage impediments. Prepare Goa-specific family/succession law, NOT pan-India Hindu/Muslim law.
Goa land laws — three statutes you cannot skip
Tested consistently in 2016, 2017 and 2019 Paper I: the Goa, Daman & Diu Agricultural Tenancy Act, 1964 (tenant’s right of first purchase), the Goa, Daman & Diu Mundkars (Protection from Eviction) Act, 1975 (Mundkar definition, eviction grounds, purchase of dwelling house) and the Goa, Daman & Diu Buildings (Lease, Rent & Eviction) Control Act, 1968 (fair rent, eviction). Reliable, repeatable marks.
Study the new codes — BNS, BNSS, BSA
All five available papers (2010–2019) predate the 2023–24 overhaul and still use IPC, CrPC and the Evidence Act. The notification text also still lists the old codes — but re-map every Paper II topic to the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam. The concepts (bail, dying declaration, charge, S.498-A cruelty) recur; only the section numbers move.
Konkani is mandatory; the essay is guaranteed
You must have sufficient knowledge of Konkani to be eligible, and the mains may be written in Konkani, Marathi or English. Paper II also carries a guaranteed ~800-word essay on a current legal topic every year (media trials, cyber crime & IT Act, plea bargaining, ADR, victims’ rights). Practise it as a scoring component, not an afterthought.
Everything you need to practise Goa Judiciary — free.
Goa has no released prelims PYQs (the prelims is held only if required), so use these as syllabus-mapped practice rather than past papers.
Open Mains Mains Questions & SolutionsGoa mains papers (2010–2019) with model answers for the Civil (Paper I) and Criminal (Paper II) law papers.
Open Notes Free Notes & LecturesSubject-wise notes — CPC, Contract, TPA, Evidence, IPC/CrPC and Goa land & civil-code law.
OpenRead the actual Goa papers this analysis is built on.
Start with the distribution file for the big picture, then solve full papers in timed blocks — judgement writing first.
Method: five mains papers (2010, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019 — 75 questions, Paper I = 31, Paper II = 44) were read and classified by legal subject. There is NO prelims PYQ source for Goa, so this is a mains-only analysis, and the distribution gives no per-subject percentages — the weightage shares above are indicative groupings of the recurring-topic frequency, not measured counts. Goa mains questions are mostly “answer any four of the following” omnibus questions, so each is counted once at the question level.
Goa Judiciary — quick answers.
Who conducts the Goa Judiciary exam?
The High Court of Bombay at Goa recruits for the post of Civil Judge (Junior Division) & Judicial Magistrate First Class, governed by the Goa Judicial Service Rules, 2013.
What is the eligibility for Goa Judiciary?
A Degree in Law plus either 3 years’ practice as an advocate or a fresh-graduate route (first-attempt passes with ≥55% in the final LLB year). Age is 21–35 for advocates (25 for fresh graduates), relaxable by 5 years for backward classes.
Is Konkani mandatory for Goa Judiciary?
Yes. The notification requires sufficient knowledge of the Konkani language to be eligible. The mains itself may be written in Konkani, Marathi or English.
Does the Goa / Portuguese Civil Code feature in the syllabus?
Yes — the Paper I “Family Laws in Goa” head covers the uniform civil code, and PYQs test the Portuguese Civil Code, the Law of Divorce applicable in Goa and the Goa Succession, Special Notaries and Inventory Proceedings Act, 2012.
How many papers are in the Goa Judiciary mains?
Two written papers of 100 marks / 3 hours each — Paper I (Civil Laws) and Paper II (Criminal Laws) — for 200 marks total, followed by a 50-mark viva voce.
Should I study IPC/CrPC or the new criminal codes?
The notification and every available PYQ still use the IPC, CrPC and Evidence Act, but you should re-map Paper II to the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA), 2023.
Does the preliminary score count toward the final merit?
No. The preliminary exam is held only if required, in English, purely to shortlist candidates for the mains in a 1:10 ratio — its marks are not added to the final merit.
Practise on questions built to this exact weightage.
Free mock series modelled on the Goa mains pattern — the two law papers, judgement-writing drills, Goa land & civil-code law, and BNS/BNSS/BSA-mapped questions.