Career in Judiciary: Interview of Mr.Siddhant Saxena(A.I.R. 5, Rajasthan Judiciary, 2018 batch)

1) Sir , please introduce yourself to our readers .

My name is Siddhant Saxena and I am from Jaipur, Rajasthan. I completed my undergraduate studies [B.A., LL.B. (Hons.)] from Chanakya National Law University, Patna (Batch of 2012-17) and LL.M. in Torts and Crime from Dept. of Law, University of Rajasthan (Batch of 2017-19). I am from RJS Batch of 2019 and currently posted as Civil Judge and Judicial Magistrate, Nagaur.

2) Please tell us about your law school period and what are certain things which one learn during law school which helps him/her in professional career?

In 2012, after preparing for almost an year for CLAT along with my 12th Boards, I got AIR 803 and got admitted to CNLU Patna which, at that time, was not considered to be a Tier 1 or Tier 2 NLU. At the beginning I was a bit disheartened but eventually it turned out to be a life changing decision. My time at CLNU was the most valuable experience. The environment provided by the Institution has resulted in my all round personality development and has boosted up my confidence. Even my friends played a significant role in making me what I’m today. The time spent in CLNU defines the best part of my success story. As far as things to learn during law school is concerned, I would suggest that one should go for overall development of personality rather than focusing just on academics. Extra curricular activities like sports, moots courts, debates, legal writing helps a lot in holistic development of personality. I maintained a healthy balance between co-curricular activities and academics.

3) What is the one thing you experienced which changed totally after you finished your studies and entered into professional life?

Life has changed completely. With great power comes great responsibilities. Now as a judge I have this crucial responsibility of dispensing justice. There can't be any excuses now. Social life has become a bit restricted.

4) Securing AIR 5 in Rajasthan Judiciary is a big feat. Please tell us about your experience when you heard the news that you are AIR 5.

Frankly speaking, I was not expecting this news as the number of vacancies in general category was very less that year. I had a sleepless night the day before my result. It was 9 am in the morning when I got the news of my selection. I was surprisingly taken aback for a moment. It took me a few minutes to sink in back into present. Everyone at home was so happy and I felt so relaxed.

5) What are the things which a law student should do in college, if he/she aims to clear Judicial Services Exams.

Please share your experience regarding your academic performance along with other co-curricular activities and internships which you did during your law school and how it helped in achieving such a remarkable feat .

So these are some general strategies which I followed right from the beginning:

First and foremost I had this clearly instilled in my mind right from the beginning that I have to join judiciary. This prevented me from deviating from my goal.

Secondly, starting my preparation from my college days gave me an added advantage over other candidates. I cleared my basics relating to core subjects early in time which helped me later in my exams.

Thirdly, I always relied on self-prepared notes and material. I suggest to you as well to not go for the sub-standard notes available in the market.

Don’t try to make things complicated for you.

Since the very beginning I was very sure and focused to join the judicial services. Corporate job was never my cup of tea. I always wanted to be directly involved in the process of administration of justice and public service.

My education at CNLU played a significant role during my preparation. The academic standards of the University along with my personal involvement ensured that my fundamentals of law were strong. Co-curricular and extra-curricular activities like sports, mooting, debating, policy research, internships helped me develop certain crucial skills like the ability to critically analyze issues and to articulate them in a precise and coherent manner, to conduct legal research efficiently and to think creatively. I succeeded in a few competitions but with every failure I learnt a lot. It was difficult to cope up with my academics along with other co curricular activities and my judiciary preparation. In addition to our personal development, we had this troublesome task of taking the University forward in a progressive direction. To further my interest in judicial services, I utilized my semester breaks to gather different experiences through internships in district courts, with lawyers, NGOs and various government organizations like NJA, NALSA, NCW.

6) Internet is a great source to quickly access information which we need and at the same time it is a great source of distraction as well.

How you managed to make internet a boon for yourself rather than being an incumbrance in the path of studies.

I personally believe that internet and social media if used in a responsible manner can be rather helpful than a distraction. During my preparation days, I was never socially disconnected. In fact I joined a few prepration groups on Facebook, Telegram, YouTube and WhatsApp which helped in providing with all latest exam notifications, study material PDFs, doubts solving etc. It saved a lot of my time and kept me updated always. Also, at times internet helped me in relieving stress. A few movies, chats with my friends made my mood lighter. But as I mentioned earlier, it should be used in a responsible manner.

7) After graduating from CNLU in 2017 , you opted for LLM and in the meantime you cleared Rajasthan Judiciary in 2018. How doing LL.M. while preparing for Judicial Services Exams helped you ? Please share this experience of yours.

Soon after completing my LLB, I started my preparation for Judicial service examinations. I never intended to persue my masters in law. But just for utilising my time I appeared for the LLM entrance examination from Rajasthan University. I cleared the examination with Rank 1. It was a 2 year term course and I chose Crime and Torts as my specialization subject. Meanwhile I was also appearing for different other Judicial service examinations like the MP judicial service and the Delhi Judicial service examination. I was in my third semester when I cleared RJS exam. Eventually I completed my LLM in May 2019 along with my judicial training. The subjects I chose for specialization helped me a lot during my preparation as it developed my answer writing and time management skills. LL.M. will make you think about Laws in a more comprehensive way; it will improve your writing skills and make you cognizant of legal theory and philosophy. Therefore, an LL.M. candidate has better grasp on the subject over the rest appearing in Judicial Services.

8) Please share with us about your preparation journey of judicial services exams. Which books you opted for different subjects and what was your strategy during the preparation.

After passing out from college, I had to face multiple challenges in my preparation for judicial services examination. When you prepare alone at home with no competition, the challenges get tougher as you have to deal with all those sessions of self-doubt and keep holding up without straying away from the path. I think the biggest challenge you face is with yourself. The decision to study and prepare when your friends are earning and to let yourself hover among uncertainties requires huge willpower and the ability to keep motivating yourself. There were days when I would not study a thing and end up feeling guilty about it. But the important part of these days was that they made me feel a lot better and I could get back on track with extra motivation. I think the family environment and support also helped me a lot in tackling these challenges.

So, I had my issues with staying focused as well as with staying motivated. But I made it a point not to lose track. I always use three words for achieving success which are ‘Dedication, Self-motivation and Unwavering attitude’. Have faith in your hard work and be committed to achieve your goals. Also at times you need to have luck on your side. Never give up on yourself, be patient and you will get the fruits of your hard work in future. The road to the judicial services may seem tedious to fresh law graduates or CLAT aspirants, but one should, as with all other things, take it one step at a time, and with that belief and consistent hard work, no examination is hard to crack.

Coming to the strategical part, my study pattern was well spread out across the day with regular breaks to keep the mind fresh. I referred to PSA Pillai and SN Mishra for Indian Penal Code, Kelkar for Cr.PC, Takwani for CPC, RK Bangia for Contracts and Specific Relief, JN Pandey for Constitutional Law, RK Sinha for TPA, Batuklal for Evidence and Aqil Ahmed for Muslim law. For Preliminary Exam, I solved a lot of MCQs from Singhal's book and referred to bare acts simultaneously. For mains exam, I made notes for all subjects, solved all the previous year’s question papers, pasted the syllabus in my room and consulted it regularly to keep a tab on my preparation. For interview, I revised the mains exam law syllabus, brushed up my general knowledge, updated latest legal developments, and practiced answering questions that are most likely to be asked. I appeared for a few mock interviews as well. It gave me a lot of confidence and self belief.

9) Preparing for Judicial Services Exam is not a cakewalk. One needs to stay focused and concentrated on the goals along with putting a lot of efforts. How one is supposed to be motivated and concentrated while preparing for Judicial Services Exams ?

Yes, surely! Firstly, never get demotivated seeing someone else’s preparation. During the preparation, one will find many students who would know a lot, seeing them one should never get demotivated. For instance, specifically talking about RJS, as per the requirement of previous years’ exam pattern, a candidate who has been appearing since before will know all the sections of the bare act on tips, one should never get demotivated seeing them. All that one has to do is focus on one’s own preparation and have confidence in one’s own self. The key is that one should see nothing but the center of the bird’s eye, then one can surely be a master without peer.

Secondly, having said that confidence is important, it is only consistency which will build confidence. So, stay with the group of positive people only. Hold discussions with them, it will enhance your own knowledge as well as boost up the confidence.

10) Thank you so much sir, for talking with us. Please share with us some lessons which you would like to convey to the law students.

I personally believe that Judicial Services Examination is not a piece of cake. This exam requires great hard work and commitment with proper planning, guidance and determination.

The competition is getting tougher day by day, so half-hearted attempts can never work. You have to do away with all kinds of distractions, keep working hard, analyse your mistakes and weaknesses and learn from them. Sooner than later, the success will be yours.