The Judge Advocate General’s Department (and corresponding legal branches in the Navy and Air Force) commissions law graduates as legal officers. Their work includes advice on service law and discipline, courts-martial related legal support, and the interface between military law and the general law of India.
Entry is service-specific. The Army, Navy and Air Force publish separate notifications, medical standards and selection procedures (including Services Selection Board stages where applicable).
Directory: Law examinations in India.
Eligibility (outline)
Notifications typically require an LL.B. with a minimum percentage, age within a service-defined band, nationality rules, and physical standards. Some entries require enrolment as an advocate.
Subject areas
- Constitution of India — fundamental rights, structure of the State, and constitutional themes relevant to the armed forces
- Criminal law and procedure — Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023
- Civil procedure and contracts — Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, Indian Contract Act, 1872
- Service law — Army Act, Navy Act or Air Force Act and rules, as applicable to the entry
- International humanitarian law / law of armed conflict awareness for interview discussion
- Current defence-legal developments
Statute list
- Constitution of India — fundamental rights, directive principles, federal structure, judiciary, emergency and amendment provisions
- Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 — substantive criminal offences (successor to the Indian Penal Code)
- Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 — investigation, trial and appellate criminal procedure (successor to the Code of Criminal Procedure)
- Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 — relevancy, proof and examination of witnesses (successor to the Indian Evidence Act)
- Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 — institution of suits, jurisdiction, decrees, appeals, execution and interim relief
- Indian Contract Act, 1872 — formation, performance, breach and quasi-contract themes
- Specific Relief Act; Transfer of Property Act; Limitation Act; Negotiable Instruments Act
Service-specific Acts named in the notification complete the list.
Related pages
Primary sources
Official joining portals and detailed JAG or legal-branch entry notifications of the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force.