Abhitesh Kumar Topper – Delhi Judicial Services Exam 2018 (3rd Rank)

Strong determination, intelligent planning and continuous hard work are the secrets of my success.

“Pratiyogita Darpan” arranged an exclusive interview with Shri Abhitesh Kumar who has been selected in Delhi Judicial Services Examination, 2018. He deserves high appreciation and our heartiest congratulations on his shining success. This important, thought-provoking and highly inspiring interview is being presented here in its original form.

PD—Achieving top slot in the Judicial Services Examination is no small feat; accept our heartiest congratulations on your splendid success.

Shri Abhitesh—Thank you.

PD—Can you recall the exact moment when you realized the importance of Judicial Services ?

Shri Abhitesh—After completing graduation, I was looking around to choose a good carrier for myself. During that journey, I came to know about Law and the importance of judicial service.

PD—Finally, at what point of time did you make up your mind to make career in Judicial Services ?

Shri Abhitesh—As I said above, I enrolled in Campus Law Centre, Delhi University to do LL.B and since then I have been living with my dream to become a Judicial Officer.

PD—You must have read toppers’ interviews in newspapers/ magazines; what inspired you the most ? Any particular success story which influenced your journey to this result ?

Shri Abhitesh—I used to read success stories of the toppers of various examinations specially Civil Services and Judicial Services. Along-with that, I also used to read the biography of successful persons and I’m deeply influenced by the struggle and success of Prof. Raghunath Anant Mashelkar.

PD—Was JSE your planned decision or your parents’ wish ? Did you keep in mind some time-frame for the examination preparation and number of attempts ?

Shri Abhitesh—It was my decision to join Judicial Services. I was simply working hard with utmost honesty. Number of attempts was never my concern. My only aim was to become a judicial officer. However, it was my 4th attempt. In my initial two attempts, I had written mains but couldn’t pass the exam. In my third attempt I had appeared for interview but again couldn’t secure the place in merit list.

PD— Describe the exact moment when you came to know about the importance of Judicial Services ?

Shri Abhitesh—The job of imparting justice is always great and important for any society. Therefore, it is always close to my heart.

PD—What was your first step when you were really serious about making a career in Judicial Services ?

Shri Abhitesh—My first step was to get acquainted with the process of this examination. I had arranged study materials such as Bare Acts and other related books available in the market.

PD—Were you confident of your success in this examination and how did you react to this news of your success ?

Shri Abhitesh—This time, I was confident about my success as I had secured third highest marks in Mains and my effort was only to qualify mains. One of my friends informed me about my result and it was actually an emotional and pleasing moment for me. I am thankful to Almighty.

PD—In how many attempts have you achieved this success ? How do you visualize your previous attempts ?

Shri Abhitesh—This was my fourth attempt of Delhi Judicial Services Examination. This time I was more focussed and I had restricted myself only on core areas from where questions are usually asked. I had done writing practice throughout the examination process.

PD—Were you preparing for other career opportunities as well while preparing for your ultimate goal i.e., Career in Judicial Services ?

Shri Abhitesh—I was not preparing for any other examination. During preparation, I got an opportunity to work in CBI as Assistant Public Prosecutor by passing an exam conducted by UPSC. My working in CBI helped me immensely to understand the nuances of law and its application. That is how my role in CBI acted as a stepping stone in achieving my ultimate goal.

PD—While the changing economic environment offers immense lucrative career opportunities in various sectors, still what kept you motivated towards Judicial Services ?

Shri Abhitesh—The field of law gives an equal opportunity to do something for the society in whatever capacity you wish to work. It totally depends on your orientation. Everybody has its own way to contribute to the society. Diversity of work, role of imparting justice and also the respect attached to the post kept me moti-ated throughout the preparation.

PD—What’s important that needs attention and what’s not ? Share your thoughts and opinions.

Shri Abhitesh—Before starting preparation every candidate should ask himself “Why he/she wants to become a judicial officer”. This is very important because judicial service is not just a job but a passion. It demands great amount of dedication and sacrifice. You cannot simply get motivated from outer world and qualify this exam. One has to keep motivated oneself from inside and internalization is very important. The preparation of this exam takes time so the candidate should not get hopeless by one or two failures. Consistent hard work is the key to pass judicial services examination.

PD—‘Time-Management’—is a key factor, how did you manage things ?

Shri Abhitesh—Time management is indispensable for Judicial Services Examination. Like others, I had also faced problem in managing time. In this respect my strategy was to do writing practice as much as possible. I had practiced writing answers of previous years’ question papers and also by referring to sample question paper available in market. I had also joined mains test series for improving the time management. In mains examination, one needs to have good writing speed because nobody can afford to leave even a single question irrespective of mark assigned to it.

PD—Was Judicial Services Examinations a planned thing for you?

Shri Abhitesh—It was a planned thing from me. I had been working on it since joining LL.B. in Delhi University. My only wish was to become a Judicial Officer.

PD—List some of the Magazines, News papers, Books etc. which you read for ‘General Studies’ during preparation.

Shri Abhitesh—I had read Pratiyogita Darpan, Economic and Political Weekly and The Hindu Newspaper for the preparation of this exam.

PD—How did you prepare yourself for Interview ? When and which Board did you face ? How did your interview go on, how long did it last and what were the questions asked during the Interview ?

Shri Abhitesh—Interview for judicial services examination is almost based on legal knowledge. So I had not prepared for it. My preparation for prelims and mains was sufficient for interview. But if you are working somewhere, you must have thorough knowledge about the institution and the relevant work. As I was Assistant Public Prosecutor in CBI, I was asked many questions about the functioning of CBI and also about my work.

Every candidate should keep in mind that interview board is very smart and it is not healthy to play bluff. If you don’t know answer, simply say no. Interview is a personality test and one does not need to panic about it.

PD—What is the importance of medium of examination for exams like JSE ?

Shri Abhitesh—Medium of Delhi Judicial Service Examination is English only. This examination doesn’t offer any other language as medium. However, one needn’t scare with the medium. Simple and lucid expression is required to write answers. Conceptual clarity on topics and sequence of answer writing is important. There is no requirement of using tough words and artistic expression.

PD—Does the educational, financial and demographic status of the family of an aspirant have any impact on the preparation ?

Shri Abhitesh—Not very much. However, support of family makes the target easier. Guidance is impor-tant for the preparation. I had also taken guidance from seniors and some judicial officers. Coaching is not really required. I had not joined any coaching for the preparation. Self-study is sufficient.

PD—Pratiyogita Darpan, the largest read Career & Competition magazine has been the top choice of aspirants; what is your opinion about it ?

Shri Abhitesh—Without any second thought, Pratiyogita Darpan is best magazine for preparation. I have been reading this magazine since 2009. Its contents are best in terms of covering current affairs and also the topics for essay.

PD—What is the secret of your success ?

Shri Abhitesh—There is no sub-stitute for hard work. Proper planning is inevitable as the syllabus is huge and conceptual clarity on the subjects is required to write answers. Regular writing practice and reading all legal deve-lopments is very important.

PD—To whom would you like to give the credit for your success ?

Shri Abhitesh— I give credit of my success to the Almighty and my wife Mrs. Bhawna. Alongwith them there are many people who directly and indirectly contributed to my success.

PD—Any suggestion/advice you would like to give to the future aspirants.

Shri Abhitesh—There is no sub-stitute for hard work. Don’t go for short-cuts. Pursuing dream is the best job of this world. These are simple pieces of advice to all future aspirants.

PD—Thank you very much and wishing you all the best for your future endeavours.