High Court Orders Postponement Of 'Delhi Judicial Service Exam 2022' On Plea To Relax Upper Age Limit

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday ordered for postponement of the Delhi Judicial Service Examination 2022, as also the date of receiving of applications, while dealing with a plea challenging the upper age limit (of 32 years) for appearing in the exam.

A division bench comprising of Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma was dealing with a petition filed by a practicing advocate namely Devina Sharma, intending to appear in the examination. 

Sharma sought relaxation in the upper age limit for the exam. While the last date of submission of application was March 20, the preliminary exam was scheduled for March 27.

"The date of receiving applications shall be rescheduled to a date after the next date of hearing. Accordingly, the date of holding the exam shall also be postponed," the Bench ordered while listing the matter for further hearing on April 7.

The Court also sought response of the administrative side of Delhi High Court through its Registrar General.

It was the case of the petitioner that since she was born in April 1989, she was not eligible to apply for the DJS examination for the reason of being beyond the upper age limit of 32 years as on January 1, 2022. Therefore, relaxation in the upper age limit was sought owing to the delay in conducting examination amid Covid-19.

"The last examination was held for the year 2019 and thereafter was not held for two successive years, that is, 2020 and 2021 on perhaps on account of the global pandemic, that is, COVID-19. Had the said examination been held in either of these two years, the petitioner would have been eligible to appear in the examination in these years, was are preferably required to be conducted each year in terms of the Delhi Judicial Services Rule, 1970," the petition reads.

The Bench said that the petition be further listed before another division bench seized of a similar petition challenging the minimum age limit of 35 years for appearing in the Delhi Higher Judicial Services Exam (DHJS), 2022, subject to orders of the Chief Justice.

A division bench headed by Justice Manmohan on March 4 had deferred the DHJS examination which was scheduled for 20th March by four weeks. 

Case Title: DEVINA SHARMA v. HIGH COURT OF DELHI THROUGH REGISTRAR GENERAL

Citation: 2022 LiveLaw (Del) 180