Sanjay Raj Pande, attained 6th Rank in 3rd attempt UP Judicial Services Examination, 2017
“Consistency, hard work, excellent teachings of my teachers and blessings of my parents and Almighty are the secrets of my success”
-Sanjay Raj Pande
‘Pratiyogita Darpan’ arranged an exclusive interview with Shri Sanjay Raj Pande who has been selected in UP Judicial Services Examination 2017. He deserves high admiration and our heartiest congratulations on his splendid 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 Sanjay—Thank you.
PD—Can you recall the exact moment when you realized the importance of Judicial Services ?
Shri Services?ually, I am having a legal background. My father is a practicing advocate. Also, there were two judicial magistrates in my family, in the past. Therefore, I, too, always dreamed of pursuing my career in the legal field and in particular, to become a judicial officer.
PD—Finally, at what point of time did you make up your mind to make career in ‘Judicial Services’ ?
Shri Sanjay—As I mentioned above, it was my childhood dream. so, right after the completion of my graduation, I took admission in LL.B course in Delhi University. Hence, Judicial Services were always in my mind.
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 Sanjay—To me, there are more sources than one. When it comes to my inspiration for Judicial Services indeed, I was immensely inspired and motivated by reading the stories of successful candidates. I also drew inspiration from History & equally from my parents and brother.
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 Sanjay—My parents and I shared a common wish. My parents want to see me succeed in every field of my life including my examination. I had no such strict time frame for its preparation from the beginning. I was just working hard and being honest to my studies. Also, the number of attempts were never my concern. Everyone wants to be successful, as soon as possible, but you can only work hard, results are not in your hand. So, I believe, “Try and try, until you succeed.”
PD—Describe the exact moment when you came to know about the importance of Judicial Services ?
Shri Sanjay—The importance and responsibilities attached with the office of Judicial Officer are a known fact. A judge is directly dealing with the process of imparting justice. Therefore, generally speaking, it has always been close to my heart since my childhood.
PD—What was your first step when you were really serious about making a career in Judicial Services.
Shri Sanjay—First of all, one should firmly make up one’s mind for such a challenging job.
PD—Were you confident of your success in this examination and how did you react to this news of your success ?
Shri Sanjay—Yes, my exam was better than the last time. So, I was confident of scoring good marks this time. One of my friends told me about my selection and my rank and it was unbelievable for few minutes and very emotional and pleasing since then.
PD—In how many attempts have you achieved this success ? How do you visualize your preparation/ previous attempts ?
Shri Sanjay—I got this success in my 3rd attempt. I also appeared in the UPPCS-J in 2015 mains exam but I missed to get through by few marks. However, this time I had a much better preparation including that of U.P. local laws. Therefore, in my 3rd attempt, not only did I succeed but also secured a good rank. I learned a lot from my previous examinations of other states including U.P. and in particular, from the interview .
PD—Were you preparing for other career opportunities as well while preparing for your ultimate goal i.e., Career in Judicial Services ?
Shri Sanjay—I practiced initially in Delhi district Courts in 2013 but it was Judicial Services which was always in my mind and therefore, I never looked beyond that.
PD—While the changing economic environment offers immense lucrative career opportunities in various sectors, still what kept you motivated towards Judicial Services?
Shri Sanjay—No job is good or bad. All are equally respectable. All depends upon one’s orientation and taste. Being a judge, you are directly involved in process of the justice delivery system. One of the most pious jobs, therefore, money may not be so important for everyone.
The coaching classes are really not necessary if you are ready to sacrifice your comforts for a year or 2. A good command over Bare Acts makes your work more than half done till the last stage.
PD—’Time-Management’ is a key factor while making preparations as well as in writing examination papers. Did you come across such a problem during this period ? If yes, then how did you manage things ?
Shri Sanjay—Time-Management is the most important factor in every aspect of your life including competitive exams. One should start with the preparation of mains examination and then, 2 months are sufficient for preliminary test.
In mains examinations, one needs to have good writing speed for he/she cannot afford to miss even a single question. A writing speed can be improved upon by solving sample question papers of mains examination in a time bound manner as much as possible. As my writing speed is fairly good, so, I never faced any time constraint in my exam. I also learned time-management skills from my past experience in other exams.
| Biodata |
| Name—Sanjay Raj Pande
Father’s Name—Shri Shailesh Pande Mother’s Name—Mrs. Kiran Pande Educational Qualifications— 10th—2004, Saint James Sr. Sec. School, Hardoi (61·40%) 12th—2006, Lucknow Christian Inter College, Lucknow (62·20%) B.A. (Hons.) Pol. Sc.—2009, Ramjas College, Delhi University (58·09%) L.L.B.—2012, Campus Law Centre, Law Faculty, Delhi University (57·50%) L.L.M.—2017, Kurukshetra Uni-versity, Kurukshetra (Haryana) (57%) |
PD—Was Judicial Services Examination your planned decision ? Had you thought of some time-frame for this examination ?
Shri Sanjay—As I mentioned before, it was always my dream job. So, I had full sincerity for it. I prepared for it in a planned manner and learned from my experiences. I was just giving my best to this exam without any strict time-frame.
PD—List some of the Magazines, Newspapers, Books etc. which you read for ‘General Studies’ preparation.
Shri Sanjay—I never had problem with constitution and history part owing to my academics. For current affairs I read only Pratiyogita Darpan. Newspapers may also be useful for it. For UPPCS-J, a focus should primarily be on Constitution and Current Affairs (as per the current trend). The articles in the newspapers and Pratiyogita Darpan may be helpful in essay writing.
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 Sanjay—For interview, I read all the Bare Acts once again, thoroughly. Apart from that, I read The Hindu/Dainik Jagran (National Edition) newspapers also. I mostly focused on recent judgements of higher courts and current time issues of national and international importance.
Like anyone I was also quite anxious and jittery while waiting for my turn in the waiting hall—I got a call after lunch time and I faced the interview Board of Sri Lorik Yadav. The board also consisted of one high court judge and two other experts i.e. four in all.
The Board members were really kind and cooperative. I felt more confident before them and passionately answered almost all the questions.
My interview was smooth and largely like a discussion. It lasted for about 20-25 minutes.
The questions pertained to Estoppel, Representative Suit, Principles of Natural Justice, one practical question on constitution, strict liability, right to property etc.
PD—About Interview Boards, many candidates have set impressions. Do you consider such thoughts help or hinder one’s performance in Interview?
Shri Sanjay—I never had any such preconception about any board or its members. They were not my enemies. If I perform well, they ought to give me good marks. One should avoid any such obsession or preoccupation of mind and focus only on giving to-the-point answers.
PD—What is the importance of medium of examination for exams like JSE ?
Shri Sanjay—I think what is more important is not the medium, but candidate’s command over it. He must be capable to express his knowledge and skills in a requisite manner. Either it is English or Hindi both are equally important and capable for a candidate getting through the exam. However, some basic level of understanding in English Language is desirable especially for language paper in mains.
PD—Does the educational, financial and demographic status of the family of an aspirant have any impact on the preparation ?
Shri Sanjay—We live in a country governed by law. ‘Equality before law’ is the basic principle of our constitution. Merit is the only criteria for selection as is evident from the selection of many candidates coming from very humble background and other states.
| Personal Qualities |
| Strong Point—Hardwork, patience, kindness, punctuality and memorizing power.
Weak Point—I don’t like too many changes in life and need some time to adjust with new situation. Hobbies—Reading newspapers, books and novels and socializing. |
PD—Pratiyogita Darpan, the largest read Career & Competition magazine, has been the top choice of aspirants; what is your opinion about it ?
Shri Sanjay—Indeed, Pratiyogita Darpan is one of the most productive and useful magazines for almost all the competitive exams including judicial services. It is very useful for General Studies, Current Affairs as well as essay.
PD—What is the secret of your success ?
Shri Sanjay—My hardwork, consistency, patience, blessings of my parents and brother, grace of Almighty God, teachings of respected teachers and full support of my close friends.
PD—To whom would you like to give the credit for your success ?
Shri Sanjay—I would like to thank Almighty God, my parents, brother, teachers and my friends who helped me immensely throughout my struggle.
PD—Any suggestion/advice you would like to give to the future aspirants.
Shri Sanjay—I would like to advise all the future aspirants to never lose hope and be persistent. One should always have a positive attitude towards life. Have compassion and be your self-guide. No problem in life can be as big as to deter you from achieving your goal if you are fervently determined to achieve one. Let your problems be your motivation, not a distraction. Your success can be the answer to most of your problems. So, take it as a challenge, not an excuse.
PD—Thank you very much and wishing you all the best for your future endeavours