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I am a judicial officer.
Most of my colleagues are from traditional law colleges. Even judicial Officers from 2000 to 2020 NLU era are mostly law college students.
I have never seen the top NLU rich/intelligent/prestigious family / royal blood types joining the service. Or it's quite rare.
I am not an NLU product. But I know the nlu trend.
Subordinate Judiciary cannot match the NLU life.
Personally I hate this NLU culture. I am coming from a not so financially good family. Couldn't afford NLU education. I worked a few years under a senior before becoming an officer.
Only students from Lower nlus may go for judicial exams as opportunities are limited. That is why bihar nlu has a lot of judicial Officers from what I heard.
I have seen LLM students from top NLUs joining service of other states like Madhya pradesh. But LLM students in NLus are half as good as their undergraduate batch.
Atleast in the top nlus going for judicial exams are don't by the bottom of the barell [...].
The reason is the (1) lack of opportunities and (2) heavy transfers throughout maharashtra.
There is an exception -
While an average judicial officer in most Indian States is from traditional law college and poor background.
Delhi judicial Officers are from very rich NLU backgrounds. Even in rajasthan you can see rich nlu students becoming judicial officers.
A rich top nlu high clat rank student becoming a magistrate in a rural court would be funny 😁😅
Nlu student may not enjoy small talk in a small court. We find happiness in small things. I have worked in Mumbai too. But rural and urban is very different.
They will bring macbook laptops, big cars and city level English to rural. And advocates and litigants would stare all the time.
Most nlu lawyers have only seen high court and don't know how sub Judiciary works in India.
Be that as it may, if good NLU students come to lower judiciary and raise the standards, what's the harm?
I aspire to be a judge and I don't think my lifestyle serves as a hindrance, on the contrary it makes me feel that as a privileged individual I shall contribute towards society in the single life span god has given me rather than hoarding money for my next 2 generations.
I don't understand how a mistreated employee working weekends is any better than a judge in tier-2 city, atleast you do something that you're proud of.
Nowadays, I'm getting downvotes just because of my identity regardless how accurately descriptive my comment is, thus I'll be taking a new alias :)
Also, there is no exam to be a HC or SC judge. The collegium system picks people in its own beautiful nepotistic way. So, so much for that.
Also, the NLUs were obviously very clearly set up for giving back to society as legal professionals. It's very clear that a judge would be doing that more than the more than 90% horde which moves towards corp right now.
I don't know what you're smoking man.
Therefore, they found themselves with two options. Write public service exams (which have quotas). UPSC is tough for them because they have to compete with category people from across disciplines (such as IIT, top medical colleges etc). Subordinate judicial service on the other hand is restricted to the law graduate pool. If Law School quota kids drop their ego and sit down to study for it/get coaching, they do stand a good chance at cracking it. In my time, they used to write multiple states' exams hoping to crack any one.
Sorry if the truth stings, but Menon was right. Law School was not meant to produce graduates who would chase state level exams just to get a job.
PS: the general undesirability of these exams is further evidenced by the fact that category kids from affluent backgrounds (IAS/IPS/politician parents) did NOT sit for these exams, regardless of their academic performance. Further, the exceptional (rare) category kids who did well academically also avoided subordinary judiciary like the plague.
So all that was left for these exams were those that did not have much else going for them (much like how the LLB course attracted people sans capability in the 1970s-80s).
So, Menon would definitely be sad that his kids at NUJS are descending to this.
Also, let me remind you, literally everyone who's gotten into premier NLU's post CLAT is way more "meritorious" than you, a socially priviliged uncle who got into a premier law school when it was as transparent as today's collegium system is. Also, there was way lesser competition. What is this pride that you're supposedly showcasing anyway. You think you've made some groundbreaking ripples in your puny little world, just because you're some semi-succesful corp slave. Get your head out of your as man. Legal education is not meant to just be a corp slave or crack the UPSC, ffs. Stop pushing your deranged opinions on everyone else by stamping boomer logic on them.
Now go, i'm sure kisi garib ko bhi oppress karna hoga aapne.
Today was my best day. You told me the greatness of my job. I am extremely happy to hear all these.
But a few things -
Except a few rare cases - it's rare to see wealthy top NLU apple macbook people clearing pcsj exam not just in maharashtra. Around India too.
Secondly, as a judicial officer, you have elevated my status to an IAS Officer? This is just boosted my self confidence.
I have been a magistrate, now. I am in a senior post.
Let me tell you one thing - real power and prestige is in high court and Supreme court. Lower judiciary is not charming.
And then,
An IAS Officer starts at a super senior post.
At the age of 25 he/she has the same power and prestige as an Addl district judge or even principle dist judge. An addl dist judge is atleast 40 years old. And a principle dist judge is atleast 50 years old.
UPSC civil services give you access to extremely prestigious jobs. Don't compare the same with magistrate.
In my opinion - clearing the judicial services exam is like a state services exam.
I am an average person but hardworking. Even if I prepare for 100 years I won't clear civil services.
But Judicial exam? Relatively easy.
I have seen a lot of legally India friends asking whether UPSC or Judicial services exam is difficult?
You guys are so unaware. UPSC exam is like getting into CSE in IIT Mumbai. Judicial services is like getting into Btech at a decent state aided engineering college in Nagpur, difficult not impossibleeven. There is absolutely no comparison.
UPSC is atleast 100 times more competetive and 10 times more prestigious.
As an IAS Officer sky is the limit. You can even become cabinet secretary, minister etc As a judicial officer max you can become dist judge or high court judge for 2 years.
A rural ias officer lives a much better life than a fresher judicial officer. A rural ias (25 year old) officer has the facilities of a princip dist judge.
Also. About my drafting skills
Even if write pure shit on legal India platform. Who will attack me?
Will high court and pdj question me?
I am not writing a bail order here. I am not translating a marati complaint.
I can write whatever I want just like you.
I do this for my fun time. I jot down my thoughts here.
Unlike an IAS Officer I cannot just start a blog and write my thoughts there. High Court will fire me faster than the legally India moderator usually puts my thread.
I will write all shit here on legally India. I will expose all these nepotistic [...] high courts. And even then nobody shall question me.
In the future expect many high court corruption stories to be put here. Beware [...] thugs.
Also I will change the Information I am giving and write differently and won't communicate outside this to avoid a blow to my identity.
Regards
Salary is 70k + all benefits + permanence + work life is good. It's even better than Corp firms as a fresher.
But over the time, a corporate lawyer makes 60 to 80 lakhs. And a judicial Officers salary will be max 25 lakhs + benefits.
I don't know who is this Saha guy.
But he is gonna suffer rural postings, lack of career opportunities etc.
Why are the last three comments which are still awaiting moderation being marked as trollish when this uncle who's writing under guest is literally being allowed to spew casteist bs without any tag or moderation!
So LI at a level allows casteist speech essentially.
Don't think this has gone unnoticed in the profession. Seniors talk and most of us have a view that this new generation of Law School (and other NLU) grads are a bit full of themselves. Of course there are exceptions, some remarkable kids. But unfortunately this trigger warning approach seems to be close to the normal for you guys. Unsolicited advice: better reform, or you will regret as the years go by.