Kerala High Court Research Assistant Recruitment 2026

Law graduates and final year/semester law students can apply to the High Court of Kerala for 48 (Anticipatory) temporary Research Assistant vacancies on contract basis under Recruitment No. 23/2026. The tenure is 1 year and the honorarium is ₹35,000/- per month. Applications are accepted only online through hckrecruitment.keralacourts.in from 2 November 2026 to 30 November 2026.

The High Court of Kerala, Kochi, is recruiting Research Assistants for temporary appointment in the High Court through its own recruitment portal. The notification dated 29 October 2026 (HCKL/7351/2026-REC2-HC KERALA) was issued by order under the name of Rajeev K. S, Registrar (Recruitment).

The notification does not list the work of the post. The 'Code of Conduct' and 'Duties and functions' of Research Assistants are available in the 'Downloads' link of the recruitment portal, https://hckrecruitment.keralacourts.in ↗.

The notice calls the 48 vacancies anticipatory and does not give a category-wise break-up. Vacancies that may arise during the validity of the ranked list shall also be filled up from that list.

The ranked list shall remain in force for a minimum period of one year from the date on which it is brought into force. It shall continue until a fresh list is published or until two years expire, whichever is earlier.

• Nationality: Applications are invited from qualified Indian Citizens.
• Essential qualification: Graduation in Law.
• Final year/semester law students: They are also eligible to apply. Their applications will be considered only on production of all the certificates and the consolidated mark sheet at the time of certificate verification, prior to the viva voce examination.
• Age: Candidates born between 1 December 1994 and 30 November 2004 (both days inclusive) are eligible to apply. The notice does not mention any age relaxation.
• Degrees from outside Kerala: Candidates whose degrees are not awarded by the Universities in Kerala should obtain a certificate of recognition from any of the Universities in Kerala and keep it with them. It should be produced as and when called for, and failure to do so will entail cancellation of candidature.

The full eligibility conditions for the post are in the official notification for Recruitment No. 23/2026.

The Research Assistant honorarium is ₹35,000/- per month and may be enhanced on the basis of Government sanction. The appointment is temporary and on contract basis.

The tenure of 1 year may be extended to a 2nd year on the basis of Government sanction for continuance of the post and performance assessment.

Candidates shall apply online through the recruitment portal of the High Court. No other means or modes of application will be accepted.

1. Complete 'One Time Registration' using the 'One Time Registration Login' link at https://hckrecruitment.keralacourts.in ↗. The steps are given in the 'How to apply' link on the website.
2. Keep ready the scanned images of photograph and signature, details of qualification, etc.
3. Enter the required details in 'My Profile'.
4. Apply for the post from 'Apply Now' in 'Dashboard' and proceed as per the instructions on the screen.
5. If you are a differently abled candidate who needs a scribe, indicate this in the online application form.
6. Check the preview of the application before submission. Once submitted, no changes, editing or modification can be made.

Candidates who wish to apply from abroad have to send an email detailing their location with public IP address to [email protected] ↗. They will then be allowed access to the recruitment portal, and they also have to inform the High Court by email after completing the online application process.

Application Fee

The fee can be paid with the system generated Fee Payment Challan, or online through Debit Card, Credit Card or Net Banking by following the instructions on the screen. Bank transaction charges, if applicable, will have to be borne by the candidate.

Online fee payment closes on 30 November 2026, along with the online application. Offline fee payment runs from 4 December 2026 to 11 December 2026.

To claim the fee relaxation, the Caste/Community Certificate or Disability Certificate, as the case may be, must be valid on the last date of closure of filing of the online application or on the date of certificate verification. Failure to produce these documents will result in invalidation of the application.

Selection will be on the basis of the written test and/or Scientific/Computer based Test and Viva Voce examination. Certificate verification takes place prior to the viva voce examination, with eligibility checked against original documents at that stage.

Admission Tickets and Call Letters

• Candidates should log in to their profile on the recruitment portal to download the Admission Ticket or Call Letter.
• Admission Tickets will be ready for download three weeks prior to the test, and Call Letters two weeks prior to the interview. Candidates will be intimated through SMS/e-mail.
• A candidate unable to download the document should contact the High Court at 0484-2562235. If no communication reaches the High Court at least one week before the test or interview, the candidate alone is responsible for non-receipt.
• The notice asks candidates to visit the recruitment portal at least once a week to know the schedule of the test or interview.
• Admission to the test or interview is purely provisional, based on the information in the online application and subject to verification of all eligibility conditions.
• Issue of an Admission Ticket or Call Letter does not mean that the candidature has been finally cleared or that the application entries have been accepted as true and correct.

Scribe and Compensatory Time

• Differently abled candidates whose writing speed is affected can avail the services of a scribe, under the guidelines prescribed by the High Court.
• Such candidates must produce a medical certificate and declaration at the time of the test, in the prescribed format available in the recruitment portal.
• The scribe's qualification shall be at least one step below the minimum qualification prescribed for the post.
• Differently abled candidates, whether availing a scribe or not, will be allowed compensatory time of 20 minutes and/or part thereof for every hour of the examination. This requires a Medical Certificate stating that the candidate has a physical limitation to write.
• The format of the medical certificate is given in the 'Downloads' section of the recruitment portal.

• An application once filed will not be allowed to be withdrawn.
• Applications that do not comply with this notification, the guidelines and the instructions on the recruitment portal shall be rejected.
• Documents in original to prove age, qualifications, etc. should be produced as and when called for, failing which candidature will be cancelled.
• Anything not specifically claimed in the application against the appropriate field will not be considered at a later stage.
• If a candidate is found not to fulfil the eligibility norms, or to have given incorrect or false information or suppressed material facts, the candidature will stand cancelled. If this is detected even after appointment, the service is liable to be terminated.
• A candidate who attempts to appear or appeared with an edited or modified admission ticket will be disqualified from the selection process and may be debarred permanently or for such period as decided by the High Court.
• Candidates who misbehave or commit any malpractice during the written test or interview are liable to be disqualified or debarred by the High Court and/or from applying for any post in the High Court, permanently or for any period it decides.
• The High Court reserves its right to modify or cancel the notification at any stage of the selection process. Its decisions on eligibility, conduct of tests and selection are final and binding, and no representation or correspondence will be entertained.
• For removal of doubts, candidates may call 0484-2562235 on all working days between 10.00 AM and 04.30 PM. The High Court's email is [email protected] ↗ and its fax number is 0484-2391720.