Clerk & Stenographer Posts in HP High Court 2026: 388 Vacancies — Complete Guide

Job Overview & Vacancy Details

The High Court of Himachal Pradesh released notification DJ-ADVT./2026 (1) on 8 August 2026, inviting online applications for 388 posts across the District Judiciary of Himachal Pradesh. Online applications open on 10 August 2026 and close on 10 September 2026 at 11:59 PM.

This is one of the largest single judicial recruitment drives Himachal Pradesh has announced in recent years, and it matters a great deal to typing aspirants for one specific reason: the Clerk post — the single biggest block of vacancies at 141 posts — is decided by a typing test at the final stage. Stenographer Grade-III (79 posts) also requires both shorthand and typing. Together, that is 220 of the 388 posts where your keyboard speed directly decides whether you get the job.

Recruitment is conducted centrally by the High Court of Himachal Pradesh for district courts across the state. Posts are permanent (regular), contract, and daily-wage depending on the cadre, with the majority of Clerk and Stenographer posts falling under regular and contract categories.

Post-wise Vacancy Breakdown

Within the Clerk cadre, reporting indicates a split of roughly 84 regular posts and 57 contract posts. For Stenographer Grade-III, the split is approximately 48 regular and 31 contract. Category-wise reservation (UR / SC / ST / OBC / EWS) is applied district-wise as per Himachal Pradesh reservation rules — the exact district-and-category matrix is printed in the official notification PDF, and candidates should check the table for the district they intend to apply to before paying the fee.

Job location: Himachal Pradesh only. These are state judiciary posts, so postings are within HP district courts.

Eligibility Criteria

Educational Qualification

Age Limit

• Court Manager: 25 to 35 years
• All other posts (UR / EWS): 18 to 45 years
• Reserved categories of Himachal Pradesh (SC / ST / OBC) and HP Government employees: up to 50 years, as per HP rules

Note that the 45-year upper limit for general candidates is unusually generous compared with central recruitments like SSC CHSL, which cap at 27. If you have crossed the SSC age window, HP High Court Clerk is one of the very few graduate-level typing jobs still open to you.

Age Relaxation

Age relaxation is applied as per Himachal Pradesh Government orders in force on the closing date. Broadly:

• SC / ST / OBC (bona fide HP residents): relaxation up to 50 years
• HP Government employees: relaxation up to 50 years, subject to service conditions and NOC from the employer
• Persons with Disabilities (PwD) and Ex-servicemen: relaxation as per applicable HP Government notifications

Relaxation for SC / ST / OBC applies only to candidates who are bona fide residents of Himachal Pradesh and hold a valid HP category certificate. Candidates from other states holding SC/ST/OBC certificates issued outside HP are generally treated as General category for this recruitment.

Nationality

Applicants must be citizens of India. For posts carrying reservation and age relaxation under HP rules, a bona fide Himachali certificate is required.

Important Dates

Exam dates have not been notified yet. Based on how HP judiciary recruitments have typically run, the Screening Test would be expected a few months after the application window closes, with the typing test following the written stage. Watch highcourt.hp.gov.in for the schedule.

Typing Test Requirement

This is the stage that eliminates the most candidates, and the one most aspirants under-prepare for. Clearing the written test only earns you a seat at the typing test — it does not earn you the job.

Clerk — Typing Test Standard

Stenographer Grade-III — Skill Test Standard

What "Kruti Dev-10" Actually Means for Your Preparation

Kruti Dev is a non-Unicode legacy Hindi font based on the Remington (typewriter) keyboard layout. This is the single most important detail in the entire notification for Hindi typists, because it changes what you should practise:

• Kruti Dev is not the same as Mangal. Mangal is a Unicode font typed using the InScript layout. If you have been practising Mangal / InScript for SSC or CPCT, your muscle memory will not transfer directly to Kruti Dev.
• Kruti Dev uses the Remington keyboard. Key positions for matras, conjuncts and half-letters follow the old mechanical typewriter arrangement, not the phonetic InScript arrangement.
• You must install the font before you practise. Kruti Dev-10 is not pre-installed on Windows. Without it, your typed text will display as garbled Roman characters.

Typing Test Rules You Should Assume

The notification prescribes the speed standard; detailed test-day rules are normally issued with the admit card. Based on standard practice in HP and other state judiciary typing tests, prepare for the following:

• Duration: commonly 10 minutes of continuous typing from a printed or on-screen passage.
• Nature: the typing test is qualifying — you either meet the speed and accuracy standard or you are out. It typically does not add marks to your merit position, which is decided by written test performance.
• Accuracy: errors are deducted from gross speed to arrive at net speed. A candidate typing 34 WPM gross with heavy errors can easily fall below the 30 WPM net threshold.
• Backspace / editing: most judicial typing tests permit backspace but disable spell-check, auto-correct and copy-paste. Do not build a habit of relying on auto-correct while practising.
• One language choice: Clerk candidates are generally required to qualify in the prescribed language standard; confirm on your admit card whether you must clear English, Hindi, or both.

Practical target: do not aim for exactly 30 WPM. Exam-hall nerves, an unfamiliar keyboard, and a difficult passage typically cost 15–20% of your practice speed. Aim for 38–40 WPM in English and 32–35 WPM in Hindi during practice so that 30 / 25 WPM on test day is comfortable rather than borderline.

Practice on TypingTips.in: We have free typing tests exactly matching HP High Court exam format. Practice Hindi typing at 25 WPM in Kruti Dev-10 — and English at 30 WPM — before your exam.

🎯 Start Free Hindi Typing Practice →

📥 Download Kruti Dev Font Free →

Salary & Pay Scale

Salaries follow the Himachal Pradesh Pay Matrix. Pay levels and scales by post:

What a Clerk Actually Takes Home

Entry basic pay for the Clerk post is ₹20,200 at Level 3. On top of basic pay, a regular employee receives Dearness Allowance, House Rent Allowance graded by the class of the town of posting, and Transport Allowance, all as per Himachal Pradesh Government rates in force. Gross monthly emoluments for a fresh Clerk in a district headquarters therefore typically land in the ₹30,000–₹36,000 range, with in-hand pay after NPS contribution and other deductions usually somewhat lower.

Two caveats worth knowing before you apply. First, a significant portion of the Clerk and Stenographer vacancies are contract posts, and contract appointees in HP are generally paid a consolidated monthly amount rather than the full pay-matrix salary with allowances, with regularisation after a prescribed period of service. Second, allowance rates change with DA revisions. Treat the figures above as indicative and confirm the exact terms for the post and mode of appointment in the official notification.

How to Apply (Step by Step)

1. Go to the official website: https://highcourt.hp.gov.in/
2. Open the Recruitment section on the homepage and locate Advt. No. DJ-ADVT./2026 (1).
3. Download and read the full notification PDF before you start. Confirm the district, post, category and reservation status you are eligible for.
4. Click the Apply Online / Online Recruitment Application (ORA) link and complete the one-time registration using your name, mobile number and email ID.
5. Log in with the registration number and password sent to your registered mobile and email.
6. Fill in the application form: personal details, category, bona fide Himachali status, educational qualifications, and post/district preference.
7. Upload a recent passport-size photograph and scanned signature in the prescribed file format and size, along with any certificates required at the application stage.
8. Pay the application fee online through the available payment gateway (net banking / UPI / debit card).
9. Review every field carefully — particularly category, date of birth and post applied for — then submit the form.
10. Download and print the submitted application and the fee receipt. Keep both safely; you will need them at the document verification stage.

📌 Application fee: ₹450 for General / UR candidates; ₹300 for SC / ST / OBC / EWS / PH candidates of Himachal Pradesh.

📌 Last date to apply: 10 September 2026, 11:59 PM

Do not leave the application to the final two days. Recruitment portals for large state drives routinely slow down or time out during the closing 48 hours, and a failed fee transaction on the last night cannot be rectified afterwards.

Selection Process

Stage 1 — Screening Test

An objective screening test is used to shortlist candidates from what is expected to be a very large applicant pool. Only candidates who clear this stage move forward. This is a filter, not a scoring stage in most judiciary recruitments.

Stage 2 — Written Test

The written examination is the stage that determines your merit position. Expect general knowledge with an emphasis on Himachal Pradesh, general English, Hindi, reasoning, arithmetic and basic computer knowledge. Since the typing test that follows is qualifying, your rank in the final merit list is effectively decided here.

Stage 3 — Typing Test (Clerk) / Stenography + Typing Test (Steno)

Conducted on computer. Clerk candidates must demonstrate 30 WPM English or 25 WPM Hindi in Kruti Dev-10. Stenographer candidates face shorthand dictation at 80 WPM followed by transcription typed at 40 WPM English or 30 WPM Hindi. Failing this stage disqualifies you regardless of how well you scored in the written test — which is exactly why it deserves preparation time from day one, not the last two weeks.

Stage 4 — Document Verification

Originals of all certificates claimed in the application must be produced: matriculation certificate for date of birth, degree and marksheets, category and bona fide Himachali certificates, and an NOC if you are already in government service. Any mismatch between the online application and the originals is grounds for rejection.

Frequently Asked Questions

Details above are compiled from the HP High Court recruitment notification DJ-ADVT./2026 (1) dated 8 August 2026 and reporting on it. Vacancy numbers, dates and fees are subject to change by the recruiting authority. Always verify against the official notification PDF at highcourt.hp.gov.in before applying.