Kerala High Court changes its internship policy; only those in final 2 years of LL.B allowed

The Kerala High Court has revised its 2026 internship policy, introducing new rules governing applications, entry passes, attendance and the conduct of law students interning at the High Court.

The revised policy, titled 'Internship Policy for the High Court of Kerala-2026 (Amended),' was notified on October 17 and lays down detailed procedures governing internships at the High Court.

Clause 6(a) of the policy states that "only students in the last two years of their law courses shall be eligible to undergo an internship in the High Court."

The restriction, however, does not apply to internships permitted at the discretion of judges.

The policy applies to law students interning under High Court judges and other sections of the Court as well as offices including those of the Advocate General, Additional Solicitor General, Director General of Prosecution, Deputy Solicitor General, Kerala State Legal Services Authority, Mediation Centre, Bar Council of Kerala and other advocates.

For internship opportunities under the judges, applications will be processed only after obtaining their consent.

Under the new framework, students will be required to submit their internship applications through an online module, which will be developed by the High Court.

Until the module becomes operational, applications and other internship-related procedures will continue to be handled online.

The applications are to be forwarded through the principal or head of the institution where the student is studying.

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the High Court will be responsible for overseeing the internship program, including processing applications and maintaining attendance records.

Interns are prohibited from using mobile phones, cameras or recording devices inside courtrooms. Recording court proceedings in any manner or circulating it on social media to compromise the Court's security would lead to immediate termination of the internship, as per the policy.

They are also required to maintain confidentiality and avoid disturbing court proceedings.

The interns have to record their attendance daily and the actual number of days where they are physically present in the Court would be counted as the internship period for issuance of internship certificates.

[Read Notification]