Raising the retirement age of judges will unfairly benefit 'non-performers': Justice Department

Increasing the retirement age of Supreme Court and High Court judges may also increase the service period of non-performer judges. This decision can have an impact on raising similar demands by government employees. This was stated by the Department of Justice on Sunday in a report before the Parliamentary Panel on Personnel, Law and Justice. The parliamentary panel is headed by BJP MP and former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, Sushil Modi. Even earlier in July, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju had told in the Rajya Sabha that there is no proposal to increase the retirement age of Supreme Court and High Court judges.

The Department of Justice said that increasing the retirement age of judges would have a perverse effect, as similar demands could be raised by government employees, PSUs, commissions, at the central and state levels. Therefore, before implementing this decision, it should be considered and a decision should be taken only after examining it, the department said. The report presented to a parliamentary panel by the Department of Justice also included details of judicial procedures and reforms, including the possibility of raising the retirement age of Supreme Court and High Court judges.

Bill was introduced in 2010

The Constitution (114th Amendment) Bill was introduced in the year 2010 to raise the retirement age of High Court judges to 65 years. However, it could not be considered in the Parliament and lapsed with the dissolution of the 15th Lok Sabha. The judges of the High Court retire at the age of 62, while the judges of the Supreme Court retire at the age of 65.

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