SC, HC judges to get pay hike of over 200%; CJI’s salary to increase to 2.8 lakh a month

The central government has agreed to increase the salaries of members of the higher judiciary, reports TOI. Judges of the Supreme Court and high courts can expect a hike of more than 200% to their current salaries..The Chief Justice of India will now be paid a monthly salary of Rs. 2.8 lakh, while puisne judges of the Supreme Court and Chief Justices of high courts will receive Rs. 2.5 lakh per month. Other judges of high courts will be paid Rs. 2.25 lakh per month. This is apart from the perks and amenities the judges receive..The salary of the CJI currently stands at Rs. 1 lakh per month; Supreme Court judges and CJs of high courts are paid Rs. 90,000 and puisne judges of high courts get Rs. 80,000 per month..Last year, former CJI TS Thakur had written to the Centre, asking for a revision in the pay scale of judges after a three-judge committee prepared a report on the same. This, after the Seventh Pay Commission did not mention anything on the lines of an increase in judges’ salaries. The committee’s report also called for an increase in pension and retirement benefits for judges..The salaries of Supreme Court and high court judges, which are determined as per Schedule II of the Constitution of India, has only been revised three times since 1950. Below is a table showing how judges’ salaries have increased over the years:.YearSalary of CJISalary of SC judgeSalary of HC CJSalary of HC judge19505,0004,0004,0003,500198610,0009,0009,0008,000199633,00030,00030,00026,00020091,00,00090,00090,00080,000.According to the TOI report, the Centre has prepared a cabinet note which is likely to be approved soon. Once this hurdle is cleared, the Law Minister will table a Bill to bring about a change in judges’ salaries in Parliament..If these pay hikes do come to fruition, it will be a welcome move, given the fact that judges of the higher courts are overburdened. Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal recently highlighted the fact that on Mondays and Fridays, there are at least sixty cases listed before a Supreme Court judge..More importantly, increasing judges’ salaries will go a long way in attracting law graduates to join the Bench, although there exist several other factors in this regard.