What these five former judges had to say on Judges’ salary

The Union cabinet on Tuesday cleared the proposal to hike the salaries, gratuity payments, allowances and pensions payable to judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts.

According to Mint, the basic salary of Supreme Court judges may be raised by over 60 per cent, to as much as Rs 2.5 lakh per month. This figure is likely to be as high as Rs 2.8 lakh for the Chief Justice of India. A similar hike is also expected in the salary of high court judges to as much as Rs 2.25 lakh.

The salaries of judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts has been a topic of concern among the legal fraternity for sometime now.

Various judges whom Bar & Bench has interviewed over the years, had expressed their views on this issue. Below are some of the views.

Justice KS Radhakrishnan – Judges are getting decent salary and perquisites

Bar & Bench had interviewed Justice Radhakrishnan in May 2014. When asked about whether he thinks judges of Supreme Court and High Courts are underpaid, Radhakrishnan J. had this to say:

“I don’t subscribe to that view. According to me, currently, our country takes care of its judiciary creditably. Judges are getting a decent salary and decent perquisites. Above all, judges gain tremendous respect in the society which is invaluable. You cannot gain respect on the basis of the salary or the perquisites one gets and I don’t think any judge can complain. Not only judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts, even judges of the subordinate judiciary are reasonably well paid and I don’t think they can complain about salary structure and perquisites.”

Justice Mukul Mudgal – Perquisites make up for low salary

Justice Mudgal, former Chief Justice of the Punjab & Haryana High Court, spoke to Bar & Bench in October 2013. This is what he said:

“Judges obviously want more salaries and to a large extent it is justified. Today, a TDSAT member is given about Rs. 3 lakh per month. I don’t see why the judges shouldn’t be given that much salary. But then, the TDSAT members doesn’t get the same perquisites that judges do. Though the salary may not be good, the perquisites perhaps make up for it. Above all, I think the quality of life is much better. You can regulate your time and indulge in your hobbies and interests. Some judges work late into the night, I didn’t.”

Justice Shiva Kirti Singh – Salary is too meagre

Justice Singh retired from Supreme Court in November 2016. When Bar & Bench spoke to him in March 2017, Justice Singh said:

“Now that I have retired, I have no hesitation in saying that the salary received by judges of High Courts and the Supreme Court is too meagre. From my experience after interaction with others, what I have found out is that a judge of a High Court or Supreme Court is not absolutely free of financial worries after retirement. That is not ideal. Too much money is not needed but at the same time there should be ample reward for doing ‘high-pressure’ work for so many years. At least, no honest, hard-working judge should feel that he is not getting a fair deal after retirement.

All stakeholders must realise that judiciary is the ultimate safety valve for the society and nation. So, judges need to be handled in a better way remuneration-wise.”

Justice Gopala Gowda – Many people don’t get three square meals a day

Justice Gowda did not speak squarely on the issue of judges’ salary but his take on the pension received by retired judges, did, to an extent, reflect his views on the subject.

“After you [Supreme Court Judge] retire, you get a pension, that is sufficient. How many people don’t get three square meals a day? 74% of the people earn less than Rs. 5000 a month and I get a pension of Rs. 70,000 a month.”

Justice HL Dattu

The former Chief Justice of India voiced his opinion on the subject while speaking at the Chief Justices Conference:

“If one were to simply compare the salary and perks of sitting judges in India to any other modern democracy, or even compare the same to that of fresh graduates in Indian law firms, the stark reality would be evident.”