What happened in Supreme Court Law Clerk Exam 2026?

The Recruitment Cell of Supreme Court conducted the Law Clerks-cum-Research Associates Examination–2026 on 7th March. After release of answer key, objections, and correction, the Supreme Court Law Clerk Exam 2026 Result was declared on 17th April, 2026. However, several candidates voiced their concerns about the evaluation of marks. They flagged errors stating that the match of their responses with the answer keys hinted at higher marks as compared to what unfolded in the scorecards. In re. Law Clerks-cum-Research Associates Examination, 2026 notices reflect re-evaluation under process. Let us get into depths of what exactly happened that led to question marks upon the 2026 Law Clerk Exam, beginning with the exam details.  

Law Clerks-cum-Research Associates Examination–2026

The Supreme Court of India, through its Recruitment Cell, released a notification on January 20, 2026. The purpose was the engagement of approximately 90 Law Clerk-cum-Research Associates on a short-term contractual basis for the year 2026-27. Applications were accepted between January 20 and February 7, 2026.   

The selection process comprised three stages:  

• Part I: A computer-based objective test of multiple-choice questions carrying one mark each with a negative marking of 0.25 per incorrect answer;  
• Part II: A subjective examination to test the analytical and writing skills;  
• Personal Interview.

Qualification in Part I - a minimum score of 60% was a mandatory threshold for Part II papers to be evaluated. Part II required a minimum of 50% marks for a candidate to be eligible for the interview stage.  

The written examination was held on March 7, 2026, across test centres in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi, and Kolkata. The examination was conducted through TCS iON Digital Zones, a unit of Tata Consultancy Services, with the candidate portal hosted on the DigiAlm platform.   

SC Law Clerk Exam 2026 Answer Key and Result

The provisional answer key for Supreme Court 2026 Law Clerk Exam was released on 8th March, 2026. Candidates were allowed to raise objections against the provisional key. Upon consideration of those objections, the Recruitment Cell, revised the answer key with respect to four questions, as communicated on 17th March, 2026. It was clarified that one mark each shall be awarded for the said four questions, to all candidates who appeared in the examination, irrespective of the response recorded. 

On 17th April, 2026, the Recruitment Cell declared the results of the written examination and published a merit list of 270 candidates shortlisted for interview. Candidates who secured an aggregate of 243 marks or more in the written examination (Parts I and II combined) and were ranked in order of merit. In total, 374 candidates qualified the written examination by securing the requisite minimum scores in both parts. The shortlisted candidates (270) were directed to submit their preferences for the chambers of Supreme Court Judges in order of priority, through a link to be made available on the Supreme Court website. A separate notice dated April 18, 2026 informed all candidates that their individual scorecards could be downloaded from the DigiAlm portal between 20th April and 4th May 2026.     

Discrepancy in SC 2026 Law Clerks-cum-Research Associates Exam

After declaration of SC Law Clerk Exam Result, several candidates flagged significant discrepancies between their self-calculated Part I scores, based on the final revised answer key, and the marks reflected in the official scorecards. Candidates reported that their actual marks as per the scorecard were substantially lower than what the answer key indicated. The concern was particularly acute because Part II answer scripts of candidates who had not crossed the 60% threshold in Part I would not have been evaluated at all, as Part II was conducted in pen-and-paper mode and was subject to the qualifying condition in Part I. Multiple candidates raised these grievances directly with the Supreme Court Registry. Following this, the Recruitment Cell closed the links for both scorecard viewing and interview preference submission. 

Coming From Candidates

Given below are some of the social media posts where candidates flagged discrepancy in the Supreme Court Law Clerk Exam 2026: 

Supreme Court in Action

On 21st April, 2026, the Supreme Court’s Recruitment Cell issued an official notice to acknowledge the concerns regarding discrepancy in the Law Clerks-cum-Research Associates Examination–2026. The authorities on 21st April, in a way, held the Agency entrusted with the conduct of the examination at fault, apparently admitting mistake in evaluation of Part-I paper. As the official notices, re-evaluation is under process and the revised scorecards are expected to be released on 24th April, 2026.