SC asks HCs to form panel over judges pay commission recommendations

The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked all high courts to expedite setting up a two-judge panel to address grievances of district judicial officers on the implementation of the Second National Judges Pay Commission recommendations.

A bench comprising Justices B R Gavai, Augustine George Masih and K Vinod Chandran passed the order after senior advocate K Paremeshwar, who is assisting it as an amicus curiae, said many high courts were yet to form the Committees for Service Conditions of the District Judiciary (CSCDJ) as directed by it earlier.

The top court, on January 4 last year, said it recommended setting up the two-judge panel in all high courts to ensure that the orders on pay, pension and other retiral benefits for judicial officers as per the Second National Judicial Pay Commission (SNJPC) were implemented.

On Tuesday, the amicus said while some high courts had set up the panels, they did not meet regularly to deal with the grievances, prompting several judicial officers to move the top court.

"We therefore request all the high courts to implement the directions issued by this court by order dated January 4, 2024. If the CSCDJs are not appointed so far by any of the high courts, the same shall be appointed within a period of four weeks from today," the bench said.

It also directed the nodal officers -- required to be retired district judges -- of the CSCDJs to be appointed within four weeks.

It asked the respective high courts to provide office space for the nodal officers within their premises. The bench asked the apex court registry to send a copy of its order to the chief secretaries of all states and UTs and the registrar generals of high courts.

The SNJPC recommendations cover pay structure, pension and family pension and allowances, besides dealing with the issue of establishing a permanent mechanism to determine subjects of service conditions of the district judiciary.

Earlier, the apex court said each high court will have a two-person committee, comprising high court judges, including one who was elevated from the district judiciary, to deal with SNJPC-related issues and other grievances of serving and former judicial officers.

The registrar general of the high court will be the ex-officio secretary of the panel, which will have a former district judge as its nodal officer, it said.

The court was hearing a plea filed by the All India Judges Association and others on pay and service conditions of district judicial officers.