Indian Army Releases JAG 124 Common Merit List for Men and Women, 18 Recommended for OTA Chennai
The Indian Army has released the Common Merit List with marks for SSC (JAG)-124, the 124th Short Service Commission Judge Advocate General course for men and women commencing in October 2026. Eighteen law graduates have been recommended after the Services Selection Board process, but only eight vacancies have been notified, and Joining Letters will be issued strictly in merit order subject to medical fitness, document verification and fulfilment of all eligibility conditions.
The list is notable not just for the names it carries, but for the way it has been structured. It is among the first combined, gender-neutral JAG merit lists published after the Supreme Court’s August 2025 judgment in Arshnoor Kaur v. Union of India, which struck down separate male and female vacancy caps and directed the Army to publish a single merit list with marks.
For the candidates who made the list, the immediate next step is not commission but training. Those finally selected will report to the Officers Training Academy, Chennai, for 49 weeks of pre-commission training before being commissioned as Lieutenants in the Judge Advocate General’s Department.
What the JAG branch does
The Judge Advocate General’s Department is the Indian Army’s legal and judicial arm. JAG officers are commissioned officers who are also qualified lawyers, and their work is embedded in the Army’s operational and disciplinary framework rather than in a civilian courtroom setting.
The branch’s responsibilities typically include advising commanders on military law, administrative law, operational law and international humanitarian law; conducting and assisting courts-martial and other disciplinary proceedings; handling litigation by and against the Army; drafting and vetting contracts, policies and statutory instruments affecting service personnel; and representing the organisation in civil courts and tribunals on service matters.
The department is headed by the Judge Advocate General, usually a Major General-rank officer who serves as the principal legal adviser to the Chief of the Army Staff. In that sense, a JAG officer is not just a “desk lawyer” in the civilian sense. The role sits inside a uniformed, hierarchical and operational organisation, and the selection process tests the same officer-like qualities expected of other Army entrants.
JAG 124 at a glance
| Particular | Detail |
|---|---|
| Course | SSC (JAG) 124th Course |
| Commencement | October 2026 |
| Academy | Officers Training Academy, Chennai |
| Training duration | 49 weeks |
| Vacancies notified | 08 (combined for men and women) |
| Commission | Short Service Commission (Non-Technical) as Lieutenant |
| Tenure | Initial 10 years, extendable by 4 years (maximum 14 years) |
| Permanent Commission | Considered in the 10th year, subject to eligibility and service requirement |
| Release options | After 5 years (special cases), 10 years or 14 years |
| Age (as on 1 July 2026) | 21–27 years (born between 2 July 1999 and 1 July 2005) |
| Education | LLB (3-year or 5-year) with minimum 55% aggregate; eligible for Bar Council registration |
| Shortlisting exam | CLAT PG 2025 (mandatory appearance and verification at SSB) |
| Marital status | Unmarried male and unmarried female only |
| Application window | 27 January 2026 to 27 February 2026 |
| Likely SSB window | May–June 2026 |
The Army has also made clear that vacancies can be varied according to operational requirement. The merit list itself does not account for medical results or document status, so inclusion on the list is not a guarantee of a Joining Letter.
How selection works
Despite the perception among some law students that JAG selection is less demanding than other officer entries, the Services Selection Board process remains the same five-day, two-stage evaluation used for NDA, CDS, TES and SSC Tech entries. Day 1 includes Officer Intelligence Rating and the Picture Perception and Discussion Test. Day 2 covers psychology tests such as the Thematic Apperception Test, Word Association Test, Situation Reaction Test and Self-Description. Days 3 and 4 are reserved for group testing officer tasks, followed by the interview and conference on Day 5.
The selection pipeline begins with an online application on joinindianarmy.nic.in. Candidates are then shortlisted for SSB on the basis of their CLAT PG 2025 score. The cut-off is not a fixed percentage; it depends on the vacancy-to-call-up ratio after applications close. Those shortlisted appear for the five-day SSB at designated centres. Recommended candidates are then sent for medical examination. The final merit list is prepared only on the basis of SSB marks, with 100% weightage for SSC JAG. Joining Letters are issued later in merit order, limited to the vacancies available, and only to those who are medically fit and whose documents are complete.
If two candidates secure the same SSB marks, the older candidate is placed higher. If age is also identical, the candidate with the higher percentage in the qualifying LLB examination is ranked above the other. Higher qualifications such as an LLM do not improve merit position.
During training, cadets receive a stipend of ₹56,100 per month. On commissioning, the pay is Level 10, in the range of ₹56,100 to ₹1,77,500, along with Military Service Pay of ₹15,500 and other allowances. The approximate annual cost to company in the first year of commissioned service is in the ₹17–18 lakh range, excluding free medical cover and other service benefits. Successful completion of OTA training also carries a Post Graduate Diploma in Defence Management and Strategic Studies awarded by the University of Madras.
Marriage during training is not permitted. Any violation can lead to discharge and recovery of training cost.
Why this list is different
Until 2025, the Army typically published separate merit lists for men and women and split vacancies accordingly, for example six men and three women or five and five. That system meant women who scored higher than men could still be excluded if the women’s quota had already been filled.
The Supreme Court changed that framework in Arshnoor Kaur v. Union of India on 11 August 2025. A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Manmohan held that once women are permitted into a branch under Section 12 of the Army Act, 1950, the executive cannot impose an additional “extent of induction” cap. The Court said separate lists and male-reserved seats violated equality, and directed the Army to publish a common merit list for all JAG candidates, disclose the marks of all recommended candidates, and select the most meritorious candidates irrespective of gender.
The Court also said that not less than 50% of vacancies should be available to women as a transitional corrective, but there should be no ceiling if women occupy more than half of the meritorious slots. The SSC (JAG)-124 “Common Merit List with Marks: Men & Women” is the operational reflection of that ruling. The list shows one rank order, one set of marks and no separate gender queue.
The official merit list
Vacancies: 08
Recommended candidates: 18
Course: October 2026, OTA Chennai
| Merit | Roll No. | Name of Candidate | SSB Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 901293 | Sameer Rajput | 487 |
| 2 | 900005 | Ankur Rana | 477 |
| 3 | 901623 | Shreyasi Vats | 471 |
| 4 | 900284 | V Vedika Rao | 467 |
| 5 | 900417 | Kanishka Chopra | 467 |
| 6 | 900812 | Mohd Hilal Alam | 466 |
| 7 | 901266 | Surya Bhan Singh | 459 |
| 8 | 900881 | Shambhavi Srivastava | 439 |
| 9 | 900807 | Shweta Borude | 428 |
| 10 | 901161 | Sanyukta Singh | 418 |
| 11 | 900823 | Shivanshu Jha | 418 |
| 12 | 901778 | A Rajeshwaran | 410 |
| 13 | 901446 | Kothari Shrithik Namitabh | 397 |
| 14 | 900358 | Rishabh Kalra | 393 |
| 15 | 900617 | Barkha Tandon | 392 |
| 16 | 900391 | Aditya Pratap Singh | 384 |
| 17 | 900773 | Sreenarmatha S | 381 |
| 18 | 900318 | Chaitanya Bithu | 372 |
Source: Official Common Merit List with Marks, SSC (JAG)-124.
What the numbers show
The top score in the list is 487, secured by Sameer Rajput, while the lowest recommended score is 372, for Chaitanya Bithu. That gives a spread of 115 marks between ranks 1 and 18. The upper end of the list is tightly packed: six candidates are clustered between 466 and 487, meaning even small score differences have altered several positions.
The list also includes two ties on marks. V Vedika Rao and Kanishka Chopra both have 467, while Sanyukta Singh and Shivanshu Jha both have 418. The official tie-break rules — age first and then LLB percentage — have already been applied to determine serial order.
Women occupy several of the higher ranks in the published list, including Shreyasi Vats at rank 3, V Vedika Rao at 4, Kanishka Chopra at 5, Shambhavi Srivastava at 8, Shweta Borude at 9, Sanyukta Singh at 10, Barkha Tandon at 15 and Sreenarmatha S at 17. Under the combined merit system, gender does not cut short their claim to the eight available vacancies.
Only the first eight medically fit candidates with complete documents will receive Joining Letters against VAC-08. The remaining meritorious candidates provide the buffer the Army typically needs if a recommended candidate fails medical examination, does not submit documents in time or declines to join.
What recommended candidates must do now
The merit list carries a clear set of instructions for candidates, and time is now critical. All semester marksheets, degree or provisional degree certificates and other required papers must be submitted by 1 October 2026. Candidates can send them by fax at 011-26196205, upload self-attested scanned copies through the Feedback/Query module on www.joinindianarmy.nic.in, or dispatch them by speed post or registered post. Failure to submit the papers by the deadline will cancel candidature.
The Army has also made it clear that medical fitness remains a separate filter. A candidate may be recommended and still fail to join if found unfit at the Service Medical Board and if the Appeal or Review Medical Board does not clear the candidate later. Even a high rank does not override medical status.
Joining Letters will be issued only in merit order, only up to the vacancies available, and only to candidates who are medically fit and otherwise eligible. The cost of training is borne by the government, but withdrawal in specified circumstances can attract recovery of training expenditure, with the rate historically notified and revised from time to time.
The notification also sets out minimum pre-joining physical standards, including a 2.4 km run, long jump, push-ups, chin-ups, squats, lunges and a 25 m swim. These are only the baseline requirements before reporting to the academy, not the full training load at Chennai.
Common pitfalls for candidates
Several eligibility and documentation issues can still affect selected candidates. A provisional degree is acceptable only if the university has issued it and all papers are submitted by the notified date. Final-year students who have not completed the degree are not eligible for this notification. Eligibility to register with the Bar Council is also required, and candidates must check the timing of their enrolment certificate against the course notification and SSB instructions.
CLAT PG 2025 verification is mandatory. Failure to produce the result at the selection centre can cancel candidature even after recommendation. In cases where two candidates have the same marks, age and then LLB percentage determine rank, so both supporting documents should be kept ready. Medical appeal procedures exist for those found temporarily unfit or suffering from a remediable condition, but delays in appeal can still cost a vacancy if Joining Letters are issued to candidates already declared fit.
The Army can also vary the number of vacancies upward or downward, which is why the recommended list is longer than the eight seats currently notified. For updates on vacancy changes, Joining Letter status and any further instructions, candidates are expected to rely only on the official portal, www.joinindianarmy.nic.in, and its Feedback/Query module rather than unofficial forwards.
