January 2, 2018

Bill seeks to give SC, HC judges steep hikes in salaries,

pensions
Salaries, allowances and pensions of Supreme Court and High
Court judges are poised for a substantial hike, should the High
Court and Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of
Service) Amendment Bill, 2017, be passed.

The Bill, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha by Union Law Minister Ravi
Shankar Prasad, seeks to change the existing pay structure as laid down under the
High Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Act, 1954 and the Supreme
Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Act, 1958.

If the Bill passes muster and is signed into law, the salaries of judges presiding over
India’s Constitutional Courts will rise nearly threefold. While the Chief Justice of
India will be entitled to a salary of Rs 2,80,000 per month, his colleagues at the
Supreme Court will draw Rs 2,50,000 every month. The figures currently stand at Rs
1 lakh and Rs 90,000 respectively.

Meanwhile, Chief Justices of High Courts, who are currently paid a salary of Rs
90,000 a month, will take home Rs 2,50,000 instead. Other judges of High Courts will
be paid Rs 2,25,000 a month, as opposed to an existing salary of Rs 80,000 per month
.

Salary Sumptuary Allowance

CJI 2,80,000 (1 lakh) 45,000 (20,000)

SC judge 2,50,000 (90,000) 34,000 (15,000)

CJ of HC 2,50,000 (90,000) 34,000 (15,000)

HC judge 2,25,000 (80,000) 27,000 (12,000)

Existing emoluments in brackets.

The Bill’s Statement of Objects points out that the windfall has been necessitated by
an increase in salaries, pensions, and allowances of Central Government Employees,
in keeping with the recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission.

The passage of the Bill will mean that the CJI will be entitled to a tax free, monthly
Sumptuary Allowance (meant for day to day expenses related to an office held) of Rs
45,000. The figure currently stands at Rs 20,000. Other judges of the Supreme Court
who are currently entitled to Rs 15,000, will now receive Rs 34,000.

While the change in allowance for a Chief Justice of a High Court will be identical to
that of a judge of the Supreme Court, other judges of the High Court who currently
receive Rs 12,000, will be entitled to Rs 27,000 each month.

All judges of the Higher Courts who do not make use of rent free accommodation
provided by the state are entitled to an allowance amounting to 30 per cent of their
salary. Should the Bill go through, this figure will be revised to 24 per cent of their
salary, but subject to inflation.

Judges will also be entitled to an allowance of 27 per cent of their salary should their
Dearness Allowance (DA) exceed 25 per cent, and will further go up to 30 per cent of
their salary if DA exceeds 50 per cent.

The Bill also contemplates a nearly 300 per cent increase on the maximum limit on
pensions that judges are currently entitled to.

The salaries and allowances of judges was last hiked in 2009, with retrospective effect
from January, 1 2006. The current revision, should it go through, will take place
retrospectively from January 1, 2016.