300% pay hike for judges

NEW DELHI: A week ago, the Union cabinet agreed to a 300% pay hike for supreme court and high court judges.

Though the finance ministry initially had strong reservations on the hike suggested by the sixth pay commission, the cabinet approved it, increasing the CJI’s salary from Rs33,000 plus allowances to Rs1 lakh plus dearness allowance (DA).

Other apex court judges will have a monthly pay package of Rs90,000 plus allowances. Under the revised scale, high court judges will get Rs80,000 plus DA. High court chief justices will enjoy the same salary as supreme court judges.

The revised pay package will be effective from January 2006. While 40% of the arrears will be given in the current financial year, the balance 60% would be paid in the next fiscal.

The government has also decided to double the existing limit of both sumptuary allowance and furnishing allowance for all supreme court and high court judges with effect from September 2008.

Earlier, a committee comprising justices Ashok Bhan (now retired) and Altamas Kabir of the supreme court and Madras high court chief justice AP Shah had proposed that the CJI’s monthly salary be raised from Rs33,000 excluding allowances to Rs1.10 lakh and that of other apex court judges and high court CJs to Rs1 lakh from Rs 30,000 excluding allowances.