Maharashtra Judicial Service · MPSC
In Maharashtra, prelims doesn’t count. Your rank is built in two Mains papers and the viva.
The 100-mark screening never reaches the merit list — it only decides who sits the Mains. We map where the marks actually sit, subject-by-subject from three prelims and three mains papers, the Maharashtra-only law, the Marathi requirement, and the shift to the new criminal codes.
- Conducting body MPSC, Mumbai
- Post Civil Judge (Jr. Div.) & JMFC
- Eligibility LLB · fresh graduate, advocate (3 yrs) or eligible staff
- Age 21–30 fresh grad · up to 40 advocate
- Stages Prelims → Mains → Interview
- Language Mains in Marathi or English · Marathi fluency required
Three stages, and only two of them count toward your rank.
Prelims is a pure filter — its marks never reach the merit list. Your entire result is built in the two Mains papers and the viva.
Stage 1 · Screening
Preliminary Exam
Objective · 1 paper
One legal-knowledge paper (Code 502). Marks are NOT counted in the final merit — it only short-lists ~10× the posts for Mains.
- Single paper
- 100 Qs · 100 marks · 2 hr
- Negative marking
- 1/4 mark per wrong answer
- Use
- Screening only — zero merit weight
Stage 2 · Selection
Main (Written) Exam
Descriptive · 2 papers
Two compulsory papers of 100 marks each (200 total). Answer in Marathi or English — medium is locked at application and cannot change.
- Paper I (Code 071)
- 100 marks · 3 hr · civil
- Paper II (Code 072)
- 100 marks · 3 hr · criminal + essay
- Qualifying cut-off
- 50% each paper · 45% backward
Stage 3 · Final
Interview / Viva
Personality + law
Called in a 1:3 ratio to vacancies on the basis of Mains marks. You must score at least 40% in the viva to be considered.
- Interview
- 50 marks
- Minimum
- 40% to be eligible
- Final merit
- Mains written + viva
Can you apply? Check this before anything else.
Qualification
An LLB from a recognised university. Fresh graduates must have cleared every exam of the degree in the first attempt with at least 55% in the final year; advocates need 3 years’ practice.
Age
21–30 for new law graduates; up to 40 for advocates (3 yrs’ practice) and up to 39 for eligible ministerial staff, computed as on the advertised date.
Bar enrolment
Not required for the fresh-graduate channel. Advocates apply via a separate channel needing 3 years of practice in the High Court or subordinate courts.
Nationality
Indian citizen. Blind candidates are not eligible for this post.
Marathi
You must speak, read and write Marathi well and translate fluently between Marathi and English. Those lacking the certificate must clear a Marathi test within six months of appointment.
Attempts
No attempt limit is specified in the notification — only the age ceiling applies.
The full syllabus, paper by paper.
Prelims screens you on one 100-mark legal-knowledge paper; Mains tests the two descriptive papers that build your rank.
Prelims
CrPC, CPC, Indian Evidence Act, Transfer of Property Act, Specific Relief Act, Maharashtra Rent Control Act, Limitation Act, Constitution of India, IPC, and the Law of Contract with Sale of Goods & Partnership.
Mains — 2 papers + viva
- Paper I — CPC · TPA · Specific Relief · Contract, SoGA & Partnership100
- Paper II — IPC · Evidence · CrPC · SC/ST Atrocities & PCR Acts · Essay100
- Interview / Viva-voce50
Ten subjects, one balanced paper — ranked by how prelims actually tests them.
Share of the 300 classified law questions across the 2019, 2020 and 2021 prelims. The paper is unusually even: every subject sits between 9.3% and 11.0%, so the differentiator is depth, not selection.
Code of Civil Procedure
11%Heaviest single subject
Decree & execution, pleadings, summary suits, attachment, appeals, mesne profits, commissions, res judicata, set-off & counter-claim. Spiked to 13 Qs in 2020.
Indian Penal Code → BNS
10.3%Stable, high-yield
General exceptions, hurt/grievous hurt, theft, cheating, criminal breach of trust, unlawful assembly, abetment. Consistent 10–11 Qs every year.
Maharashtra Rent Control Act, 1999
10.3%State signature subject
Tenant/landlord definitions (s.7(15)), eviction grounds (s.16), standard rent, leave-and-licence, Small Causes Court jurisdiction (s.33), compulsory registration (s.55).
CrPC → BNSS · Specific Relief · Contract+SoGA+Partnership
10%Three core scorers (10% each)
CrPC: arrest, bail, custody, cognizance, sentencing. SRA: specific performance, injunctions, cancellation, 2018 amendment. Contract: consent, agency, guarantee, unpaid seller, minor partner.
Limitation · Evidence (→ BSA) · Constitution
9.7%Predictable memorisation block
Limitation: schedule periods, s.5 condonation. Evidence: burden of proof, dying declaration, s.65B electronic records. Constitution: fundamental rights, writs, amendments.
Transfer of Property Act
9.3%Lowest — still ~9 Qs/yr
Kinds of mortgage, lease & its determination, gift, lis pendens, part-performance (s.53A), fraudulent & conditional transfers. Rose from 8 (2019) to 10 (2020–21).
What to study first, and what gives the most marks per hour.
- Do first CPC · IPC · Rent Control
The three heaviest subjects (≈10–11% each) and the backbone of both prelims and Mains Paper I/II. Non-negotiable.
- High return CrPC · Specific Relief · Contract block
Each a steady ~10% of the paper. Predictable provisions and leading doctrines repeat — reliable scoring.
- Best per hour Limitation · Evidence · Constitution
Article numbers, time periods and named provisions recur. Memorisation-driven — the best return on effort.
- Don’t skip Transfer of Property Act
The lowest-weight subject but still ~9 questions a year, and it anchors Mains Paper I doctrines (lis pendens, part-performance).
- Mains make-or-break Judgment writing
40 of 200 Mains marks: one civil judgment (Paper I) + one criminal judgment (Paper II) every year. Practise the format relentlessly.
The state-specific edge most all-India material skips.
Maharashtra Rent Control Act, 1999
Maharashtra’s signature subject — a guaranteed 9–11 prelims questions every year (≈10.3% of the paper). Learn tenant/landlord definitions, grounds for eviction, standard rent, leave-and-licence, Small Causes Court jurisdiction and compulsory registration. Not peripheral here — exam-defining.
SC/ST Atrocities Act 1989 & PCR Act 1955
Mains Paper II names both. Every year carries a fixed 10-mark (5+5) question — collective fine and statutory presumptions under the SC & ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989, plus “places”, social disabilities and compulsory labour under the Protection of Civil Rights Act 1955. Small Acts, 100% reliable marks.
Marathi medium & translation
You must be able to speak, read and write Marathi well and translate fluently between Marathi and English. The Mains medium (Marathi or English) is chosen at application and is irreversible — pick it early and practise judgment writing in that language.
Study the new codes — BNS, BNSS, BSA
All 2019–2021 papers use IPC / CrPC / Evidence Act, but from 1 July 2024 these are replaced by Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam. Use the PYQs for concepts and judgment structure, then re-map every section onto its new-code equivalent.
Everything you need to practise Maharashtra Judiciary — free.
Past Maharashtra prelims papers (2019–2021), solved and arranged like the real 100-question exam.
Open Mains Mains Questions & SolutionsMaharashtra mains papers (2019–2021) with model answers for both descriptive papers.
Open Notes Free Notes & LecturesSubject-wise notes — CPC, IPC, Evidence, Rent Control, TPA, Specific Relief and more.
OpenRead the actual Maharashtra 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 three prelims papers (300 total, 100 per year, all law) and three mains papers (Paper I + Paper II each) was read and classified by legal subject — not inferred from headings. All source files were clean and complete, so treat the counts as well-grounded.
Maharashtra Judiciary — quick answers.
Who conducts the Maharashtra Judiciary exam?
The Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) recruits for Civil Judge (Junior Division) and Judicial Magistrate, First Class, under the Maharashtra Judicial Service Rules, 2008.
What is the eligibility for Maharashtra Judiciary?
An LLB from a recognised university. Fresh graduates (age 21–30) must have passed every exam in the first attempt with 55% in the final year; advocates (up to 40) need 3 years’ practice.
Is Marathi compulsory for Maharashtra Judiciary?
Yes. You must be able to speak, read and write Marathi well and translate fluently between Marathi and English. Candidates without the certificate must pass a Marathi test within six months of appointment.
Is there negative marking in the Prelims?
Yes. The objective Prelims deducts one-quarter (1/4) of a mark for each wrong answer; a question with more than one option marked is also treated as wrong. Unanswered questions carry no penalty.
Does the Prelims score count in the final merit?
No. The Preliminary Exam is only a screening test that short-lists about ten times the number of posts. Final merit comes from the two Mains papers and the interview.
What is the Mains cut-off?
A minimum of 50% in each Mains paper to be called for interview (45% in each paper for backward-class candidates). The viva requires at least 40%.
How many papers are in the Mains?
Two compulsory descriptive papers of 100 marks each (200 total), three hours per paper, answered in Marathi or English. The medium is chosen at application and cannot be changed.
Should I study IPC/CrPC or the new criminal codes?
From 1 July 2024 the IPC, CrPC and Evidence Act are replaced by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA). Study the new codes and re-map old previous-year section numbers.
Practise on questions built to this exact weightage.
Free mock series modelled on the MPSC pattern — the 100-question prelims, the two descriptive Mains papers, the Rent Control & SC/ST + PCR Acts, and BNS/BNSS/BSA-mapped questions.