Supreme Court orders release of Patna High Court judge's salary arrears

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the State of Bihar to release the pending salary of Patna High Court judge Justice Rudra Prakash Mishra who is yet to receive his salary for the past ten months due to the absence of a General Provident Fund (GPF) account.

A Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud and Justice JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra said that no judge can be expected to work without payment of salary.

"An interim order is required since no judge can be expected to work without payment of salary. Thus State of Bihar is directed to pay all pending salaries and arrears from the date he was entitled and that a temporary General Provident Fund account is opened," the Court stated.

Justice Mishra's counsel submitted that his salary has not been released since his appointment on November 4, 2023. His case was that he did not have a General Provident Fund (GPF) account, which was the reason for non-disbursal of his salary.

During today’s hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta assured the court that the issue would be resolved and requested a hearing on Friday.

However, the Court emphasized the importance of ensuring that Justice Mishra receives his due compensation without further delay. It directed the State of Bihar to pay all pending salaries and arrears from the date Justice Mishra became entitled to them and also instructed the establishment of a temporary GPF account.