JAG Entry Scheme 125th Course (April 2027): Short Service Commission for Law Graduates in the Indian Army (10 Posts, Stipend Rs 56,100/month)

The Directorate General of Recruiting, Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Army), has invited online applications from unmarried male and female law graduates for the grant of Short Service Commission in the Indian Army for the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Branch. The entry is formally notified as the JAG Entry Scheme 125th Course (Apr 2027): Short Service Commission (NT) Course for Law Graduates (Men and Women).

The JAG Branch is the legal arm of the Indian Army. The notification sets out the selection flow as Application, then Shortlisting, then SSB, then Medical, then Merit List, then Joining Letter, and records that shortlisting for the Services Selection Board is done on the basis of the vacancy to call-up ratio and the candidate's CLAT PG 2026 score.

The online application window opened on 17 July 2026 at 1500 hrs and closes on 17 August 2026 at 1500 hrs. Applications are accepted only online. The notification records that there is no provision for an offline application to be accepted by the Directorate General of Recruiting.

10 vacancies, combined for men and women, for SSC (JAG) Entry 125 Course.

The notification clarifies that the Indian Army notifies combined vacancies for men and women based on the operational and administrative needs of the force as envisaged in existing and future scenarios. The process of application, SSB shortlisting (cut-off), selection and merit is based purely on the notified vacancies and is driven by the applications received against the notification for that particular course.

Nationality. A candidate must be either (i) a citizen of India, or (ii) a subject of Nepal, or (iii) a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and the East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire and Ethiopia, and Vietnam, with the intention of permanently settling in India. Candidates in categories (ii) and (iii) must hold a certificate of eligibility issued by the Government of India; this certificate is not required for candidates who are Gorkha subjects of Nepal.

Marital status. Open only to unmarried men and unmarried women.

Age limit. 21 to 27 years as on 01 January 2027, that is, born not earlier than 02 January 2000 and not later than 01 January 2006, both dates inclusive. Only the date of birth recorded in the Matriculation or Secondary School Examination certificate (or equivalent) as on the date of submission of the application will be accepted, and no subsequent request for change will be considered or granted.

Educational qualification. Minimum 55% aggregate marks in the LLB degree, whether the three-year professional course after graduation or the five-year course after the 10+2 examination. In addition, a CLAT PG 2026 score is mandatory for all candidates, including LLM qualified and LLM appearing candidates. The candidate must be eligible for registration as an advocate with the Bar Council of India or a State Bar Council, and must be from a college or university recognised by the Bar Council of India.

• Note 1. Only candidates holding the LLB degree and marksheet are eligible to apply for this course, provided they meet the other educational qualifications above.
• Note 2. All candidates applying for the JAG entry are mandatorily required to get their CLAT PG 2026 result verified at the Selection Centre prior to the conduct of the SSB. A candidate who is unwilling or unable to get the CLAT PG 2026 result verified will not be eligible for the SSB and the candidature will be cancelled, with no representation accepted. The notification adds that there is no provision for an offline application to be accepted by the Directorate General of Recruiting.
• Note 3. The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) 2026 Postgraduate examination conducted in December 2025 is the only exam applicable for this course. No other CLAT PG score will be accepted.

Tenure of engagement. Short Service Commission is granted to men and women in the regular Army for 14 years, that is, an initial period of 10 years extendable by a further period of 04 years. Officers willing to continue after the expiry of the ten-year period may, if eligible and suitable in all respects, be considered for grant of Permanent Commission in the 10th year of their Short Service Commission, in accordance with the policies issued from time to time. SSC officers not selected for Permanent Commission but otherwise considered fit and suitable will be given the option to continue as SSCOs for a total of 14 years (including the initial tenure of 10 years), on expiry of which they will be released from the Indian Army.

Release on completion of the 5th year. SSCOs (other than those who have undergone or are undergoing a specialised course of that nature) who wish to leave the service after five years may, during the fifth year of service, apply to Army HQ for release. Army HQ will consider such applications on merit and its decision is final and irrevocable. On approval, such officers are released on completion of the 5th year of service. Those who have undergone or are undergoing a specialised course will not be released before the expiry of the full 14-year tenure unless the prescribed cost of training for that course is recovered from them, and they must execute a bond to this effect on being nominated for such a course.

Release during extended tenure. During the extended tenure, release may be sought on the grounds of taking up a civil job, pursuing higher education, or starting one's own business or joining a family business.

Probation. An officer will be on probation for six months from the date of receiving the commission. If reported upon within the probationary period as unsuitable to retain the commission, services may be terminated at any time, whether before or after the expiry of the probationary period.

Ante date seniority. No ante date seniority will be granted.

Termination of commission. An officer granted Short Service Commission is liable to serve for ten years, but the commission may be terminated at any time by the Government of India for misconduct or if services are found to be unsatisfactory; on being found medically unfit; if the services are no longer required; or on failure to qualify in any prescribed test or course. An officer may, on giving three months' notice, be permitted to resign the commission on compassionate grounds, of which the Government of India is the sole judge; an officer so permitted to resign will not be eligible for terminal gratuity.

Reserve liability. SSC officers released before or on expiry of the contractual length of service carry a reserve liability to serve the Army for five years, plus two years on a voluntary basis, or up to the age of 37 years for women and 40 years for men, whichever is earlier.

Release benefits. The Highlights table states only that release benefits are payable depending on service on release. The notification gives no further detail.

Restrictions in service. On joining the Indian Army, some personal restrictions in service will be imposed in accordance with Article 33 of the Constitution of India as promulgated in the Army Act and Army Rules from time to time.

Training is of 49 weeks at the Officers Training Academy (OTA), Chennai, commencing April 2027. Selected candidates are detailed for pre-commission training according to their position in the final order of merit, up to the number of available vacancies and subject to meeting all eligibility criteria.

Marriage bar. Candidates are not allowed to marry during the period of training, nor to live with parents or guardians. Candidates must not marry until they complete the full training at OTA. A candidate who marries after the date of application will not be eligible for training even if successful at the SSB interview and the medical examination. A candidate who marries while under training will be withdrawn and will be liable to refund all expenditure incurred on him or her by the Government.

Award. All candidates who successfully complete pre-commission training at OTA Chennai are awarded a Post Graduate Diploma in Defence Management and Strategic Studies by the University of Madras.

Cost of training. The entire cost of training at OTA is at Government expense. If an Officer Cadet is withdrawn from the training academy for reasons other than medical grounds or reasons not beyond his or her control, the cadet is liable to refund the cost of training at Rs 20,482 per week (as on 2026, and as notified from time to time) for the period of the candidate's stay at OTA Chennai or the Cadet Training Wing. The cost of training is borne by the State, but is recovered from cadets who withdraw for personal reasons.

Minimum physical standards to be acquired before joining the training academy:

• 2.4 km run: 10 minutes 30 seconds (men); 13 minutes (women)
• Push-ups: 40 (men); 15 (women)
• Pull-ups: 06 (men); 02 (women)
• Sit-ups: 30 (men); 25 (women)
• Squats: two sets of 30 repetitions (men and women)
• Lunges: two sets of 10 repetitions on each leg (men and women)
• Swimming: should know the fundamentals of swimming (men and women)

The final allocation of Arms or Services is made prior to the passing out of Gentlemen and Lady Cadets from OTA. The Highlights table names the JAG Branch as the primary Arm or Service for this commission.

Stipend during training. Rs 56,100 per month for the entire duration of training in the service academy, that is, during the training period at OTA. On successful commissioning, the pay in the Pay Matrix of the officer commissioned is fixed in the first cell of Level 10. The training period is not treated as commissioned service. Arrears on account of admissible allowances, as applicable, for the training period are paid to cadets.

Rank on commissioning. Lieutenant. The Highlights table gives CTC as approximately Rs 17 to 18 lakh per annum.

Pay scales by rank:

• Lieutenant, Level 10: Rs 56,100 to Rs 1,77,500
• Captain, Level 10 B: Rs 61,300 to Rs 1,93,900
• Major, Level 11: Rs 69,400 to Rs 2,07,200
• Lieutenant Colonel, Level 12A: Rs 1,21,200 to Rs 2,12,400
• Colonel, Level 13: Rs 1,30,600 to Rs 2,15,900
• Brigadier, Level 13A: Rs 1,39,600 to Rs 2,17,600
• Major General, Level 14: Rs 1,44,200 to Rs 2,18,200

Military Service Pay. Rs 15,500 per month fixed, for officers from the rank of Lieutenant to Brigadier.

Other allowances. These are applicable strictly as per the laid down qualification and eligibility conditions and are not entitled to everyone. Dearness Allowance is admissible at the same rates and under the same conditions as are applicable to civilian personnel from time to time. Para Allowance Rs 10,500; Para Reserve Allowance Rs 2,625; Para Jump Instructor Allowance Rs 10,500; Project Allowance Rs 3,400; Special Forces Allowance Rs 25,000; Technical Allowance Tier-I Rs 3,000 per month; Technical Allowance Tier-II Rs 4,500 per month. Depending upon rank and area of posting, officers posted to field areas are eligible for field area allowances graded across the High, Hardship Medium and Low bands, with the maximum for officers being Siachen Allowance at Rs 42,500. The rates of these allowances are enhanced by 25% automatically each time the Dearness Allowance goes up by 50%.

Dress Allowance. Rs 20,000 per year. Ration in kind in peace and field areas.

Transport Allowance (TPTA). For Pay Level 10 and above, Rs 7,200 plus DA thereon per month in Higher TPTA Cities and Rs 3,600 plus DA thereon per month at other places. The notification attaches four conditions:

• Higher TPTA Cities (Urban Agglomeration) are Hyderabad, Patna, Delhi, Ahmadabad, Surat, Bengaluru, Kochi, Kozhikode, Indore, Greater Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Jaipur, Chennai, Coimbatore, Ghaziabad, Kanpur, Lucknow and Kolkata.
• The allowance is not admissible to service personnel who have been provided with the facility of Government transport.
• Officers in Pay Level 14 and above who are entitled to use an official car have the option to avail the official car facility or to draw TPTA at the rate of Rs 15,750 plus DA per month thereon.
• The allowance is not admissible for the calendar month or months wholly covered by leave.
• Physically disabled service personnel continue to be paid at double rate, subject to a minimum of Rs 2,250 plus DA per month.

Children Education Allowance. Rs 2,250 per month per child, for the first two eldest surviving children only, from three classes before class one up to the 12th class. Reimbursement is to be done just once a year, after completion of the financial year (which for most schools coincides with the academic year). A certificate from the head of the institution where the ward of the government employee studies is sufficient for this purpose, and the certificate should confirm that the child studied in the school during the previous academic year.

Hostel Subsidy. Rs 6,750 per month per child, for the two eldest surviving children only.

In the case of allowances specific to the Defence Forces, the rates are enhanced by 25% automatically each time the Dearness Allowance payable on the revised pay band goes up by 50% (Government of India letter No. A-27012/02/2017-Estt.(AL) dated 16 August 2017). Pay and allowances, and the rules and provisions thereof, are subject to revision from time to time.

Army Group Insurance Fund (AGIF). Gentlemen and Lady Cadets in receipt of stipend are insured for Rs 1.25 crore as applicable to officers of the regular Army. A monthly AGIF subscription of Rs 12,500 must be paid in advance by cadets to become a member under the AGI Scheme. Those invalidated out by an Invalidating Medical Board and not entitled to any pension are provided Rs 25 lakh for 100 percent disability, reduced proportionately to Rs 5 lakh for 20 percent disability; for less than 20 percent disability an ex-gratia grant of Rs 50,000 only is paid. Disability due to alcoholism, drug addiction and diseases of pre-enrolment origin does not qualify for disability benefit or ex-gratia grant. Cadets withdrawn on disciplinary grounds, expelled as undesirable, or leaving the academy voluntarily are not eligible for disability benefits or ex-gratia.

Promotion criteria by rank:

• Lieutenant: on commission
• Captain: on completion of 2 years reckonable commissioned service
• Major: on completion of 6 years reckonable commissioned service
• Lieutenant Colonel: on completion of 13 years reckonable commissioned service
• Colonel (Time Scale): on completion of 26 years reckonable commissioned service
• Colonel, Brigadier and Major General: on selection basis, subject to fulfilment of requisite service conditions

Adjustment of seniority. To adjust for the shorter training of SSC officers compared with Permanent Commission officers, the seniority of SSCOs is depressed by the period corresponding to the difference in training period between the SSC course under consideration and the training period of its equivalent PC course. This adjustment is carried out at the time of grant of the first substantive rank of Captain. The revised seniority has no effect on the pay and allowances granted in the ranks of Captain, Major and Lieutenant Colonel.

Reckonable commissioned service. Subject to the provision on adjustment of seniority above, reckonable commissioned service for the purpose of these orders counts from the date of grant of Short Service Commission to an officer. The period of service forfeited by sentence of Court Martial or any summary award under the Army Act, and the period of absence without leave, will not be reckonable. The period during which furlough rates of pay are drawn, and the period of captivity at prisoner-of-war rates of pay, will be reckonable. The period of service for promotion lost by an officer in consequence of having been granted leave without pay will also be reckonable; such an officer becomes entitled to the pay and allowances of the higher substantive rank granted by the inclusion of this period only from the date on which he or she would have qualified by service if this period had not been so reckoned, and not with effect from the date of grant of the substantive rank.

The selection flow is: Application, then Shortlisting, then SSB, then Medical, then Merit List, then Joining Letter.

Shortlisting of applications. Integrated HQ of MoD (Army) reserves the right to shortlist applications without assigning any reason. Shortlisting for the SSB is based on the vacancy to call-up ratio, and the Highlights table records that it is based on the CLAT PG score. The Highlights table gives the likely date for shortlisting as the second week of September 2026.

Selection of SSB centre and date. After shortlisting of applications, candidates log in to the website and select their SSB centre and date, which are available on a first come first served basis. The Highlights table records that the choice of SSB centre and dates is open for two weeks in September. The SSB centre and date once selected will not be changed later. The option to select the SSB centre and date may be forfeited due to the occurrence of any exceptional circumstance or event, and the Directorate General of Recruiting, Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Army), reserves the right to change the SSB centre and date once selected. Requests for change of SSB interview date or centre will NOT be entertained or replied to.

Conduct of SSB. Only shortlisted eligible candidates will undergo the SSB at Selection Centres at Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh), Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), Bengaluru (Karnataka) and Jalandhar (Punjab). Call-up letters for the SSB interview are issued by the respective Selection Centre on the candidate's registered e-mail ID and by SMS only. Candidates are put through a two-stage selection procedure; those who clear Stage-I go to Stage-II, and those who fail Stage-I are returned on the same day, that is, the 1st day. The duration of the SSB interview is five days, and details are available on the official website of the Directorate General of Recruiting. The Highlights table gives the likely window as up to five days of SSB in November or December 2026. This is followed by a medical examination for candidates who are recommended after Stage-II.

Joining the Pre-Commission Training Academy (PCTA). Candidates recommended by the SSB and declared medically fit will be issued a joining letter for training in the order of merit, depending on the number of vacancies available and subject to meeting all eligibility criteria. Candidature will be cancelled if a candidate is found to have given wrong information or a wrong certificate, or has not disclosed relevant information. The notification adds an express caveat: being found 'FIT' for joining PCTA does not give any right to a candidate to demand a joining letter, but is at the discretion of the Directorate General of Recruiting as per organisational requirement.

Medical examination. Medical standards and procedures of medical examination for officers entry into the Army are as published on www.joinindianarmy.nic.in. The validity of the SSB medical examination is 270 days, that is, from the SSB to the PCTA joining date. A candidate who has undergone an SSB medical (SMB/AMB/RMB) for any SSB of any service and been declared 'Med FIT' need not undergo the medical examination again after the SSB of SSC (JAG)-125, provided the period from the date of medical (SMB) to the date of joining this course, that is 01 April 2027, is less than 270 days. The proceedings of the Medical Board are confidential and will not be divulged to anyone. The Directorate General of Recruiting has no role to play in any Medical Board, and the procedure advised by the medical authorities will be strictly adhered to.

Merit list. Merely qualifying at the SSB interview does not confirm final selection. The merit list is prepared on the basis of the marks obtained by the candidate at the SSB interview. Where equal SSB marks are obtained by more than one candidate, the older candidate is ranked higher in the merit. Where both SSB marks and age are the same, the candidate with the higher percentage of marks in the qualifying examination is placed higher. Higher educational qualifications and previous performances have no role to play. Those in the merit list who come within the stipulated vacancies and are medically fit are issued joining letters for pre-commission training at OTA Chennai, subject to meeting all eligibility criteria.

Travelling allowance. Candidates appearing for the SSB interview for the first time for a particular type of commission are entitled to AC 3-Tier (to and from) railway fare or bus fare, including reservation-cum-sleeper charges, within Indian geographical limits. Candidates who appear again for the same type of commission will not be entitled to travelling allowance on any subsequent occasion. For any query or clarification regarding admissibility or payment of travelling allowance, candidates may directly approach the concerned Selection Centre.

Candidates who fail to report within 07 days from the date of reporting will have their candidature cancelled, and the next candidate in merit will be considered to fill the vacancy.

Applications are accepted only online at www.joinindianarmy.nic.in. Click on 'Officer Entry Appln/Login' and then on 'Registration' (registration is not required if already registered on the website). Fill the online registration form after reading the instructions carefully. After getting registered, click 'Apply Online' under the Dashboard. A page titled 'Officers Selection - Eligibility' will open. Then click 'Apply' shown against Short Service Commission JAG Entry Course. A page titled 'Application Form' will open. Read the instructions carefully and click 'Continue' to fill in the details required under the various segments: personal information, communication details, education details and details of previous SSB. Click 'Save & Continue' each time before moving to the next segment. After filling in the details on the last segment, a page titled 'Summary of your information' allows the entries already made to be checked and edited. Only after ascertaining the correctness of all details, click 'Submit'. Candidates must click 'Submit' each time they open the application for editing any details.

Candidates are required to take out two copies of their application having the Roll Number, 30 minutes after the final closure of the online application on the last day. One copy is carried to the Selection Centre and the second copy is retained by the candidate for reference. There is no need to send any hard copy to the Directorate General of Recruiting. The notification advises candidates to read the notification carefully and then fill up the online application form to avoid mistakes, and thereby rejection of the application.

• No changes to details submitted in the online application can be made after the closure of the application, and no representation in this regard will be entertained.
• CGPA or grades must be converted into marks as per the formulae adopted by the concerned university for filling 'Marks obtained in Graduation' in the online application. Any discrepancy observed at any stage of the selection process will lead to cancellation of candidature.
• The candidate's name, parents' names (father and mother) and date of birth in the profile and online application must be as per the matriculation or Secondary School Examination certificate or equivalent certificate issued by the concerned Board of Education. Variation in these details will lead to cancellation of the candidature.
• Candidates must submit only one online application. Receipt of multiple applications from the same candidate will result in cancellation of candidature, and no representation will be entertained in this regard.
• Candidates serving in the Armed Forces are required to inform their Commanding Officer in writing that they have applied for this examination, and must carry the application duly countersigned by the Commanding Officer, along with all other documents, to the SSB interview.

Documents to be carried to the Selection Centre. Self-attested copies of the following, along with their originals, are to be carried by the candidates. A DIGILOCKER certificate will not be accepted in lieu of original certificates.

• One copy of the printout of the application, duly signed and affixed with a self-attested photograph
• Matriculation or Secondary School Examination certificate or equivalent certificate, and the marksheet issued by the concerned Board of Education
• 12th class certificate and marksheet
• Graduation degree or provisional degree issued by a recognised university (in the case of the three-year LLB after graduation). A provisional degree should not be more than six months old as on 01 April 2027, that is, issued between 01 October 2026 and 01 April 2027
• LLB degree or provisional degree issued by a recognised university. The provisional degree should not be more than six months old as on 01 April 2027, that is, issued between 01 October 2026 and 01 April 2027
• Marksheets of all years or semesters
• Registration with the Bar Council of India or a State Bar Council, OR a certificate from the college or university that the LLB course in that institution is recognised by the Bar Council of India
• Certificate issued by the university regarding the formulae for conversion of CGPA or grades into percentage of marks followed by the university
• CLAT PG 2026 score card (examination conducted in December 2025)

Only the matriculation or Secondary School Examination certificate or equivalent certificate issued by the concerned Board of Education will be accepted as proof of date of birth, the candidate's name and the parents' names; no other document such as an admit card, marksheet or transfer certificate is acceptable. Where the issuing authority issues the matriculation Passing Certificate and Marksheet as a combined document (Certificate-cum-Marksheet) recording the date of birth, that document is accepted as proof of passing, date of birth, the candidate's name and the parents' names. Where the Passing Certificate and Marksheet are issued separately, submission of the Passing Certificate is mandatory as proof of passing and date of birth. Where the parents' names are not mentioned in the matriculation or equivalent certificate, the candidate must produce a document issued by the Government of India or a State Government, such as a PAN card, Aadhaar card, passport or driving licence, for verification, and the candidate's and parents' names filled in the online application must match exactly with those in the produced document.

Where a school or college does not issue a certificate in hard or physical format, a certificate must be obtained from the school or college (principal or registrar) stating that only e-certificates have been issued through DIGILOCKER and no hard copy has been provided; in such cases the candidate must produce a colour printout of the e-certificate, duly authenticated by the concerned school, college or university. Any candidate who does not carry the above documents for the SSB interview will have his or her candidature cancelled and will be returned. All certificates in original are to be carried for the SSB interview for verification, and originals are returned after verification at the SSB itself.

• Any ambiguity, false information or concealment of information detected in the certificates, documents or online application will result in cancellation of the candidature at any stage of selection and thereafter.
• The candidate should never have been debarred from appearing in any examination by the UPSC.
• Candidates withdrawn from the NDA, IMA, OTA, Naval Academy, Air Force Academy or any service training academy on disciplinary grounds are not eligible to apply.
• The candidate should never have been arrested or convicted by a criminal court or involved in any case.
• For all queries regarding allotment of Selection Centres, date of interview, merit list, joining instructions and any other relevant information, candidates should visit www.joinindianarmy.nic.in. Queries will be replied to ONLY through the 'Feedback/Queries' option available on the recruiting website.
• Candidates are asked to read the notification, the tickers on the website, the joining instructions and other instructions uploaded on the website thoroughly before submitting queries in 'Feedback/Query' on the website.
• In order to avoid a last-hour rush and to ensure a timely response, queries received up to 03 days prior to the closing of the online application will ONLY be entertained or replied to.
• In case of any discrepancy between the English and Hindi versions of the notification, the English version prevails.

The notification names no individual officer, telephone number or e-mail address. The only routed query channels it publishes are the 'Feedback/Queries' option on www.joinindianarmy.nic.in, and, for travelling allowance questions alone, the concerned Selection Centre.