New Delhi: As he drove around the streets of Kochi on a bike delivering food orders—often late into the night, and sometimes braving extreme heat or heavy rains—back when he was a college student, Muhammed Yaseen did not think that he would soon be on his way to becoming a civil judge.
The 29-year-old from the town of Pattambi in Palakkad district has made headlines for not just passing the Kerala Judicial Services Examination, but also securing the second rank among the lakhs of aspirants in the state vying for seven spots.
“Entering the legal profession was, in a way, destiny for me. You would be surprised to know that earlier, I had no ambitions of becoming a judicial officer or even a lawyer. In fact, during my early childhood days, making a living was the main priority,” Yaseen said.
It was only much later in life that his resolve to become a judge strengthened through the support of helpful colleagues and his boss, advocate Shahul Hameed, he added.
ThePrint spoke to Yaseen about his journey towards judgeship, the obstacles he encountered along the way, his inspiration, life before venturing into the legal world, and his experience working as a delivery person with food delivery portal Zomato.
Journey to judgeship
Born in Pattambi, Yaseen completed his schooling from a Malayalam-medium government school in 2012. “English wasn’t my strongest suit and we had to study the state syllabus,” he said.
He subsequently obtained a one-year diploma in electronics engineering from the Institute of Printing Technology and Government Polytechnic College, Shoranur before starting his undergraduate degree.
Between 2016 and 2019, Yaseen pursued a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in public administration, where he studied concepts like how democracies work, what autocracies are and how government systems function, among other things.
Having completed his graduation, Yaseen enrolled himself in a three-year LLB programme at Government Law College (GLC) in Ernakulam from 2019 to 2022. “There was an entrance examination for the programme, where I secured the 46th rank,” he said. “I chose GLC, Ernakulam because of its proximity to Kochi, which is a bustling city with lots of job opportunities.”
Even as he completed three courses from different government institutions, it was not until his third and final year of law school that his friends introduced him to the entrance examinations.
Yaseen’s inspiration
“It was my senior Shahul Hameed, who had a pivotal role in pushing me to do better in the field of law,” he said, adding that the lawyer graciously allowed him to teach his class, sometimes when he was in the office.
Yaseen also spoke of two colleagues—Shahina and Reshma—who secured the sixth and ninth rank in the judicial exam.
“When I had enrolled as an advocate in 2023, they were in the academy. They immensely motivated me, and are working as judicial magistrates in Kerala right now.
“Apart from them, I was also blessed with the guidance of teachers K.N. Prashant and former district judge R. Natarajan, former director of Kerala judicial academy, who unfortunately passed away, when I cleared the exam,” he said.
Explaining that he got a lot of opportunities to argue before different benches of trial courts, Yaseen said, “This is what helped me eventually. Having a good senior allowed me to appear frequently before the judges which, in turn, boosted my confidence. Within one and a half years of enrolment, I had cleared the exam.”
An incident that came to Yaseen’s mind was when his boss encouraged him to argue a property matter directly before the judge. “Getting a favourable order in a suit worth a little over Rs 2 crore cemented my confidence in my own abilities,” he said.
Other figures that inspire Yaseen within the legal industry include lawyers like the late Nani Palkhiwala and senior advocate Kapil Sibal. Outside the industry, however, he looks up to American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. and his efforts towards the marginalised sections of society. “His speech is like music to my ears.”
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Early days
Yaseen’s parents separated when he was only three years old. “I don’t remember anything about my father, including his name or what he looked like. We struggled for basics, like food and clothes. So, we started working in order to meet our basic needs.”
He recalled that by the time he reached class 8, he had started delivering mail to houses nearby, and even worked as a milk supplier for his family’s welfare. Subsequently, he ventured into other activities, such as construction work and painting, to make ends meet.
“My brother had to give up his education at the age of 17, when he was only in class 12. Thereafter, he started working, taking up odd jobs. My mother studied only till class 6 and my grandmother never went to school,” he said.
He added, however, that his mother has always been a working woman, and presently works as an Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) worker.
Daily routine
In 2022, when Yaseen completed his law degree, he immediately began working as a tuition teacher in Kerala’s Attappadi, where he would conduct online classes for judiciary aspirants.
Even after completing his 10-12 hour shift as a lawyer, he looked forward to teaching his cohort of law students and advocates, he said. “My favorite subject was the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) as I was well acquainted with practical aspects of law, owing to my experience of practising before the trial courts.”
Besides practising as a lawyer and offering tuition to aspirants, Yaseen also read the newspaper regularly. “I relied on The Hindu to prepare for the judiciary exam. I also turned to the legal news portal Live Law, in addition to reading court judgments. Reading Kerala High Court judgments was a regular affair for me. Nothing teaches you the law like reading judgments,” he said, adding that this was his primary method of collecting knowledge.
About his daily routine while preparing for the judiciary exam, Yaseen said, “During the day, I used to practise in the trial court. At night, I would teach judiciary aspirants.”
An average day for Yaseen began at 8 am, but he would almost inevitably end up working till 1-2 am. He went to court every day and while his practice mostly pertained to criminal matters, he also undertook civil cases. After completing work at around 8 pm, he would conduct online tuition classes for fellow aspirants.
Obstacles along the way
Adding that this wasn’t his first attempt, Yaseen told ThePrint, “I had also taken the exam last year, but could only get the 58th rank. However, in my first attempt, I was mostly clueless about what I wanted to do in the future. It was only after the initial unsuccessful attempt that my resolve to become a judge hardened.”
He added, “You must have noticed that my English isn’t very good. I come from a Malayalam-medium school. However, competing for only seven seats meant that I was up against people coming from English medium schools and the CBSE board, among others.”
But it was Yaseen’s constant endeavour to improve himself that helped him do better and secure the second rank among several judicial aspirants in the state of Kerala.
“The mains examination was not easy and the English section itself was of 100 marks. To tackle this, I read a lot—everything I could gather my hands on, from case judgments to newspaper articles. I wanted to do better.”
Tribulations during the pandemic
Yaseen was working as a delivery boy with Zomato, while studying on the side. “From my first year up to the Covid-19 pandemic, I continued to work odd jobs to support myself and my family.”
With the onslaught of Covid-19, however, Yaseen said that he was unable to earn much. “During the pandemic, there was no work. I had also applied for a personal loan at the time, but it never got approved.”
However, it was with the support of friends like Anjitha that Yaseen had access to books and preparatory materials during that time. Finally, he enrolled as a lawyer in March last year.
“Although we got ten days of vacation in college, I decided to take up work during that time. Working as a delivery person, however, was no easy feat. For instance, before Onam, I got into a bike accident while on duty, which prevented me from working the next four days,” he said.
Despite the extremely difficult and risky nature of the job, which required him to work through all seasons, Yaseen said, “It’s a hard job but it allowed me some flexibility. I could attend college during the day and work during the evening.”
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Tips for aspirants
“The Kerala Judicial Services exam follows a pattern similar to the UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) exam. The notification comes in January. Between April and May, the prelims are held. The mains exam takes place in July. Those who get selected are called for interviews between October and November,” Yaseen said.
The interview round consisted of a panel of five Kerala High Court judges asking them questions, which mostly dealt with the practical aspects of law, he said. “Due to my experience of practising in the trial courts, I was well-versed with aspects like pleading in a civil case, or drafting a plaint.”
As a note of caution to aspirants, Yaseen said, “There are no shortcuts or tricks to success. Ultimately only one’s hard work and effort make all the difference.”
One must also believe in their own potential, he said. “If I can do it, anyone can. It is important to be aware of your drawbacks and shortcomings, and work on them, honestly.”
An attitude of constantly improving oneself, not giving up, and refusing to be deterred by making mistakes will take you far in life, said Yaseen.
According to Yaseen, it is also important to find time for recreational activities, such as reading novels, poems or even watching films. His favourite book, he said, is Malayalam writer O.V. Vijayan’s Khasakkinte Ithihasam, which tells the story of a university student who gives up a promising future to work in a remote village.
One of his favourite films is the 2018 Mammootty-starrer Peranbu—a heart-wrenching tale of a single father trying to raise his daughter diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
“I also enjoy listening to ghazals, qawwalis and songs by the likes of Kishore Kumar, Mohammed Rafi and Talat Mahmood.”
(Edited by Radifah Kabir)
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