A Beginner’s Guide to Judgment Writing for Judiciary Exams 

Hey, aspirants! Welcome to Lawctopus’ Judiciary Corner.

There are many aspects to judiciary exams. These include general and legal knowledge, current affairs, law subjects, and English comprehension to name a few. 

One such aspect is writing judgments during the Mains examination. But this pattern is not followed in all judiciary exams. Few states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu have prescribed judgment writing.  

So buckle up if you are preparing for any of the states mentioned above and learn the tips and tricks for judgment writing for the Mains examination.

Types of Judgment Writing

In the exam, students will come across Civil and Criminal judgment writing.

In Criminal Judgment writing, you frame charges by comprehending the facts presented. On the other hand, Civil judgment writing is about framing of issues. Though both seem easy and identical, the format, law, and writing patterns are different.

Contents of a Judgment

Title of Judgment

A judgment should consist of the following:

1. Name of the Court
2. Designation of the Judge
3. Place of Court

If it is a civil judgment, candidates need to mention Civil Suit No. and Date of Institution. For criminal law answers, candidates must include FIR No., Police Station, date of the institution, etc.

Facts

Candidates must have seen that judgments begin with admitted facts. So, the first thing that needs to be done before you directly start writing is to highlight the facts involved in the issue. Write 2-3 paras depending upon the problem.

After mentioning the facts, briefly mention the dispute in case of civil judgment or charges for a criminal matter. 

Issues

Now it is time to discuss the issues involved. Here the presence of mind of the candidate is needed because wrong identification of issues can go negatively for you. Use your logic and identify the law applicable to frame charges and issues carefully. In case you can’t decide, take some more time and re-read your given facts again.

Evidence and Laws Applicable

Now is the time to mention any Annexures provided in the question paper and laws which will settle the issue or decide the conviction. Citing  

Ratio Decidendi

The most crucial step while writing a judgment is reasoning. How and why you reached a conclusion is important. Merely saying because you think so is not good enough. 

The reasoning provided by the candidate should be logical and supported by Supreme Court and High Court precedents. The application of mind should be the utmost priority of the candidate. 

Candidate, please note that a well-applied judgment will definitely fetch you high marks.

Books & Internet Sources

1. Art Of Judgment Writing (Judgment & Dispensation of Justice) by Y P BHAGAT Edition 2020
2. Judgments and How to Write Them by S.D. Singh
3. JUDGMENT WRITING- By Junior Civil Judge Pulivendula, Andhra Pradesh
4. The Art of Writing a Judgment- The Hindu Article

For more articles relating to the art of answer writing, click here.