The retirement age of judges should be similar to that of other govt officials.
Advocates opposing a proposal to increase the retirement age of judges from 62 to 65 on Thursday submitted a memorandum to the select committee headed by Congress MP Jayanti Natarajan, saying it would not benefit the public interest.
More than 60 senior advocates of the Karnataka high court have been opposing the proposed amendment (114th) to the Constitution, meant to up the judges’ retirement age.
BV Acharya the senior counsel and the former advocate general appeared before the select committee headed by Congress MP Jayanti Natarajan on Tuesday to present his opposition against the said move. The statements were then signed by former advocate generals Acharya, Udaya Holla and many other practicing lawyers on Thursday.
Acharya said that the amendment is not in public interest and will only benefit a few sitting judges of the high court. In their objection statement sent to the Rajya Sabha secretariat, the advocates insisted that the proposal will stop the regular vacancies for the high court judge’s post for the next three years, and therefore deprive the meritorious and deserving from getting recruited.
“Sixty-two is a very high age. The judges who are already doing the good work can be continued under the Article 222 of the Constitution,” Acharya said.
Former chairman of Karnataka state bar council YS Sadashiv Reddy said, “For all the government officials, the retirement age is 58 to 60. It should be the same for high court judges as well.”
KN Putte Gowda, president, Bangalore advocates association, said, “There is a provision in the constitution itself, to extend the services of the retired judge if his services are required. Our demand is that the retirement age should not increase. The increase is not correct if taking into consideration health concerns.”
The group of former advocate generals suggested that the parliamentary select committee should either drop the proposal or make the amendment applicable to judges appointed hereafter.
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