Key dates
The High Court of Delhi opened applications on July 1, 2026, and the window closes today, July 15, at 5:30 pm. The Preliminary Examination is tentatively scheduled for July 26, 2026 (a Sunday), running 11 am to 1 pm.

Vacancy breakdown
A total of 27 posts are on offer — 24 existing vacancies plus 3 anticipated ones up to June 30, 2027. Category-wise, that breaks down to 17 Unreserved, 5 SC and 5 ST posts, with three of those SC/ST vacancies carrying over as backlog posts. Three vacancies are also reserved for candidates with benchmark disabilities of 40% or more, two of which are backlog posts.

Eligibility
Candidates need a Bachelor's Degree in Law (LLB) from a recognised university, along with at least seven years of continuous practice as an advocate as on the last date of application — today. Judicial officers can also apply if they have a combined seven years of experience as an advocate and judicial officer. Candidates must be Indian citizens, aged between 35 and 45 years as on July 15, 2026 — meaning born no earlier than July 15, 1981, and no later than July 15, 1991. Anyone previously dismissed from Central or State government, High Court, or statutory/local authority service is not eligible to apply.

Selection process
The recruitment runs through three stages: a Preliminary Examination (objective type, qualifying in nature only), a Mains Examination, and a Viva-Voce. Only the Mains and interview scores count toward the final merit list — the Prelims exist purely to shortlist candidates for the next stage.

Application fee
General, OBC and EWS candidates pay ₹2,000; SC, ST and PwD candidates pay ₹500. Fees must be paid online via debit card, credit card, net banking or UPI, and are non-refundable.

Salary
Selected officers will be placed in the J-5 pay scale, ranging from ₹1,44,840 to ₹1,94,660 a month.

Documents to have ready before submitting
Candidates will need a Bar Council certificate confirming their years of practice, countersigned by the Registrar General or an authorised High Court/District Judge officer; copies of at least two case order sheets or judgments per year across the preceding seven years; Income Tax Return acknowledgements; an original No Objection Certificate from their employer if currently in government or judicial service; and, where applicable, original caste or disability certificates from the prescribed authority.

Common mistakes to avoid
The High Court has flagged a few recurring errors that lead to disqualification: applying without having completed the full seven years of continuous practice by today's deadline, and — for those who eventually reach the OMR-based stage — using correction fluid or marking multiple answers per question. Applicants are also reminded not to send a printout of their application to the court; the process is entirely online, with the printout meant only for personal record-keeping.

With the window closing at 5:30 pm today, any advocate still finalising their application should prioritise getting the eligibility documents in order first, since incomplete practice-period verification is the single most common reason candidates get disqualified at a later stage.