Govt to end disparity in HC judges' pension

The Cabinet on Wednesday decided to amend the law on high court judges salaries and conditions to remove ‘discrimination’ in pension suffered by judges elevated from the bar.

The government will introduce a bill with the amendments to implement a 2014 Supreme Court ruling on the discriminatory pension issue.

Ten years of practice as advocate will be added as qualifying service for HC judges elevated from the bar. Those promoted as judges from the bar were paid lesser pension than judges elevated from district courts though the latter had served just two or three years in high courts.

In P Ramakrishnam Raju Vs Union of India and others, the SC held that higher pension for judges promoted from subordinate judiciary serving shorter periods against those drawn from the bar serving longer periods is discriminatory and violates Article 14.