JMFC Exam Maharashtra: Eligibility, Pattern, Syllabus and Preparation

JMFC Exam Maharashtra: Eligibility, Pattern, Syllabus and Preparation

By Adv. Aaditya Vikram Parmar, LL.M.

The Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) recruits Civil Judges (Junior Division) and Judicial Magistrates First Class as one cadre. The same officer hears civil suits as a Civil Judge and tries criminal cases as a JMFC, so you need command of both sides of the law from day one.

The 2026 recruitment

• Advertisement No. 013/2026, notified 30 April 2026, for 286 posts.
• The preliminary exam set for 2 August 2026 was postponed. A new date is awaited.
• A corrigendum dated 23 October 2026 reopened applications so that law graduates could apply without a certificate of practice.

Eligibility

All candidates must know Marathi: read, write and speak. The rule on prior practice changed nationally in August 2026 (see our article on state judicial service exams), so read the latest MPSC corrigendum before you apply.

Exam pattern

Final merit is out of 250: Mains 200 plus interview 50. The Mains can be written in Marathi or English.

Syllabus

• Prelims: CrPC and BNSS, IPC and BNS, Evidence Act and BSA, Civil Procedure Code, Transfer of Property Act, Specific Relief Act, Contract, Sale of Goods and Partnership Acts, Limitation Act, Constitution of India, Maharashtra Rent Control Act.
• Main Paper I (civil): Civil Procedure Code, Transfer of Property Act, Specific Relief Act, Contract, Sale of Goods and Partnership Acts.
• Main Paper II (criminal): IPC and BNS, Evidence Act and BSA, CrPC and BNSS, SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Protection of Civil Rights Act, and an essay on a current legal topic.

How to prepare

• Read bare Acts line by line. Prelims questions come straight from sections and illustrations.
• Study the old and new criminal laws side by side. Both are in the syllabus.
• Practise answer writing every week: issue, provision, case law, conclusion.
• Write one judgment a fortnight, civil and criminal alternately.
• Work on legal Marathi: court terminology, translation, and speaking for the interview.
• Solve previous MPSC papers. Patterns repeat.

Pay

A Civil Judge (Junior Division) starts at Level J-1 with basic pay of Rs. 77,840 a month in the scale Rs. 77,840 to Rs. 1,36,520, plus allowances.

Frequently asked questions

Who conducts the JMFC exam in Maharashtra?

MPSC, under a scheme framed with the Bombay High Court.

Are prelims marks counted in the final merit?

No. Prelims is a qualifying stage.

Is Marathi compulsory?

Yes. It is an eligibility condition and is tested again at the interview.

Classroom batches run at our Andheri, Borivali, Vasai, Virar and Chembur centres. Call 9022092506 for batch timings and a counselling session.