Himachal Pradesh Judicial Service · HPPSC
Himachal is the holdout: it still tests the old IPC, CrPC and Evidence Act.
While every other state crosswalks to the new codes, HP hasn’t moved — and there’s no negative marking to punish a guess. We map the three-paper pattern subject-by-subject from five prelims and five mains papers and the Himachal-only Acts.
- Conducting body HPPSC, Shimla
- Post Civil Judge (Junior Division)
- Eligibility Law degree recognised by the Bar Council of India
- Age 22–35 (3-yr relaxation for HP SC/ST/OBC)
- Stages Prelims → Mains → Viva-Voce
- Language English & Hindi (Devnagari) papers in Mains
Three stages, and only two of them count toward your rank.
Prelims is a pure filter — its marks are never added to your total. Your entire merit is built in the Mains and the viva, so plan your time accordingly.
Stage 1 · Screening
Preliminary Exam
Objective · 3 papers
Three papers, all the same day, all MCQ. Marks count only for short-listing — they are NOT added to your final total.
- Paper I — Civil Law-I
- 50 Qs × 2 = 100 · 1 hr
- Paper II — Civil Law-II
- 50 Qs × 2 = 100 · 1 hr
- Paper III — Criminal Law
- 50 Qs × 2 = 100 · 1 hr
- Negative marking
- None
Stage 2 · Selection
Main (Narrative) Exam
Descriptive · 5 papers
Three law papers carry 600 marks and decide your rank. Each paper needs 40% (33% for Hindi); you must clear 45% in aggregate.
- 3 law papers (I, II, III)
- 200 marks each · 600 total
- Paper IV — English Composition
- 150 marks
- Paper V — Hindi (Devnagari)
- 100 marks
Stage 3 · Final
Viva-Voce
Personality + law
Three candidates per vacancy are called on Mains merit. Final selection = Mains written + Viva.
- Viva marks
- 150
- Call ratio
- 3× vacancies
- Prelims weight in merit
- Zero (screening only)
Can you apply? Check this before anything else.
Qualification
A degree in law recognised by the Bar Council of India, held by the prescribed cut-off date.
Age
22–35 years (as on the last date to apply). Upper limit relaxed by 3 years for HP SC / ST / OBC candidates.
Bar enrolment
Not required — a recognised law degree suffices; you need not be an enrolled advocate.
Nationality
Citizen of India.
Language
Comfort with Hindi (Devnagari) — Mains carries a Hindi language paper needing 33%. Knowledge of HP customs and dialects is desirable.
Attempts
No attempt limit specified in the notification — only the age ceiling applies.
The full syllabus, paper by paper.
Prelims screens you on three objective papers; Mains tests the same three law papers — now for 200 marks each — that build your rank.
Prelims — 3 papers
Code of Civil Procedure · Indian Evidence Act · Indian Stamp Act · H.P. Courts Act, 1976 · Specific Relief Act. 50 MCQs × 2 marks, no negative marking.
Indian Contract Act · Hindu Law · Indian Limitation Act · Transfer of Property Act · H.P. Urban Rent Control Act. 50 MCQs × 2 marks.
IPC · CrPC · NI Act Ss.138–143 · H.P. Excise Act, 2011 · Wild Life Protection Act · Indian Forest Act · Judicial Sensitivity to Sexual Offences module (POCSO, JJ, DV, POSH). 50 MCQs × 2 marks.
Mains — 5 papers
- Paper I — Civil Law-I200
- Paper II — Civil Law-II200
- Paper III — Criminal Law200
- Paper IV — English Composition150
- Paper V — Hindi (Devnagari) — qualifying 33%100
The law subjects, ranked by how hard prelims actually tests them.
Share of the 737 classified questions across the 2014, 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2023 prelims. The three prelims papers are the same three substantive Mains law papers — so this is your map for both stages.
Code of Civil Procedure
12.6%Largest subject — rising
Res judicata & res sub judice, decree vs order, jurisdiction, execution, Order 22 abatement, appeals. Recent papers lean on assertion-reason / multi-proposition framing, not bare recall.
Indian Evidence Act
10.9%Rising sharply
Admissions & confessions, dying declaration (s.32), circumstantial evidence, s.65B electronic records, presumptions (s.114). Surged to ~20 Qs in 2020 and 2023 in “choose the correct proposition” format.
Indian Penal Code
10.3%High but volatile
General exceptions, private defence, culpable homicide vs murder, abetment vs conspiracy, property offences. A guaranteed 10–20 Q block; 2023 thinned it to make room for the new sexual-offences module.
Criminal Procedure Code
10.3%Stable & high-yield
Arrest, FIR, default bail, charge, s.357A victim compensation, plea bargaining. Increasingly case-law-driven — Lalita Kumari, D.K. Basu. Steady 14–17 Qs every year.
Indian Contract Act
7.6%Most predictable scorer
Offer/acceptance communication, free consent, void vs voidable, frustration, wagering, quasi-contract. A consistent ~10 Qs (a 16-Q spike in 2017).
H.P. Urban Rent Control Act
6.5%State-specific · high return
Fair rent, eviction, “specified landlord”, deposit of rent, conversion of building. A dependable 7–11 Qs every year from a small, repetitive pool — cheap marks.
Hindu Law · TPA · Limitation Act
18.2%Three steady ~6% blocks
Hindu: marriage validity, coparcenary, succession, adoption. TPA: lis pendens, ostensible owner, perpetuity, mortgages. Limitation: condonation of delay (s.5), s.12/14 exclusions, adverse possession.
SRA · Stamp · NI · HP Excise · Wildlife · Forest · HP Courts
23.7%Small Acts that add up
SRA (4.9%), Stamp (3.3%, falling), NI Ss.138–143 (3%), H.P. Excise 2011 (3%), Wildlife (2.7%), Forest (2.7%), H.P. Courts Act 1976 (2.2%). Individually tiny, but ~24% combined — clockwork 2–11 Qs each.
What to study first, and what gives the most marks per hour.
- Do first CPC + Evidence
The two largest subjects (~23.5% combined) and both rising. Drill the assertion-reason / multi-proposition style, not just section recall.
- High return IPC + CrPC
~20.6% combined and reliably high. Increasingly case-law-anchored — learn the landmark judgments, not only the sections.
- Predictable scorer Contract Act
~7.6% from a stable, well-mapped pool — offer/acceptance, consent, frustration, quasi-contract. Near-certain marks.
- Cheap & state-specific HPURC · HP Excise · HP Courts Act
~12% combined from tiny, repetitive question pools. Disproportionate return on effort — revise once, score every year.
- New & rising POCSO · DV · JJ · POSH module
The Sexual-Offences Sensitivity module entered the syllabus and produced 13 Qs in 2023 (zero before). Current cycles must prepare it.
The state-specific edge most all-India material skips.
Three Himachal-only Acts you won’t find in all-India material
H.P. Urban Rent Control Act (~6.5%), H.P. Excise Act, 2011 (~3%) and H.P. Courts Act, 1976 (~2.2%) recur every single year — and together with the other minor Acts yield disproportionate marks. Low-volume, high-certainty: definitions, authorities, appeal/revision, penalties. The HP Excise Act, 2011 replaced the old Punjab Excise Act, 1914 (note 2014 papers still used the Punjab Act).
HP still examines IPC, CrPC & Evidence Act — NOT the new codes
As of the 2023 paper, Himachal’s notification has NOT migrated to BNS / BNSS / BSA, 2023. All five PYQ prelims and all mains papers are on the old codes — prepare IPC, CrPC and the Evidence Act as your primary syllabus (s.302, s.164, s.65B remain examinable). Track the next HPPSC notification in case it switches.
Everything you need to practise HP Judiciary — free.
Past HP prelims papers (2014–2023), solved and arranged like the real three-paper exam.
Open Mains Mains Questions & SolutionsHP mains papers (2014–2019) with model answers for the three law papers.
Open Notes Free Notes & LecturesSubject-wise notes — CPC, Evidence, IPC, CrPC, Hindu Law, TPA and the HP-specific Acts.
OpenRead the actual Himachal papers this analysis is built on.
Start with the distribution files for the big picture, then solve full papers in timed blocks.
Method: every question in five prelims papers (737 total: 2014, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2023) and five mains papers was read and classified by legal subject — not inferred from headings. The 2014 prelims carries 149 items and the 2020 paper 138; the 2014 mains is missing its Civil Law-I paper, and no English/Hindi paper material exists — so treat exact counts as well-grounded estimates.
HP Judiciary — quick answers.
Who conducts the HP Judiciary exam?
The Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (HPPSC), Shimla, conducts the H.P. Judicial Service Competitive Examination to recruit Civil Judges (Junior Division), governed by the H.P. Judicial Service Rules, 2004.
What is the eligibility for HP Judiciary?
You must be an Indian citizen holding a law degree recognised by the Bar Council of India, aged 22–35 years (upper limit relaxed by 3 years for HP SC / ST / OBC). Bar enrolment is not required.
Is there negative marking in the HP prelims?
No. All three objective prelims papers (Civil Law-I, Civil Law-II, Criminal Law) carry 50 questions of 2 marks each with no negative marking.
Does the Prelims score count in the final merit?
No. The Preliminary Exam is screening only — candidates equal to 20× the vacancies are called to the Mains. Final merit is the Mains written total plus the Viva-Voce.
How many papers are in the HP Mains?
Five papers of three hours each: three substantive law papers (Civil Law-I, Civil Law-II, Criminal Law) worth 200 marks each, English Composition (150) and Hindi in Devnagari (100).
Should I study IPC/CrPC/Evidence or the new BNS/BNSS/BSA codes?
Study the old codes. As of the 2023 paper, HP’s notification has NOT migrated to the BNS, BNSS or BSA, 2023 — the syllabus and every PYQ examine the Indian Penal Code, Criminal Procedure Code and Indian Evidence Act.
Which Himachal-only Acts must I prepare?
The H.P. Urban Rent Control Act, H.P. Courts Act, 1976 and H.P. Excise Act, 2011 recur every year. They are low-volume but high-certainty marks most all-India material skips.
What is new in the HP criminal syllabus?
A Module on Judicial Sensitivity to Sexual Offences — covering POCSO, the JJ Act, the Domestic Violence Act, POSH and gender-sensitivity guidelines — which produced 13 questions in 2023 after entering the syllabus.
Practise on questions built to this exact weightage.
Free mock series modelled on the HPPSC pattern — the three law papers, the Himachal-only Acts, and IPC/CrPC/Evidence-based questions matched to the current syllabus.