Supreme Court Set to Resolve Pension Disparity for Retired Judges

The Supreme Court is addressing the disparity in pension benefits for retired high court judges. Judges elevated from district judiciary fall under a different pension scheme than those from the Bar, causing inequality. The Court aims to resolve this issue, advocating across-the-board uniformity.

The Supreme Court has taken a decisive stance on resolving the long-standing issue of pension disparity among retired high court judges. A bench, comprising Justices B R Gavai, Augustine George Masih, and K Vinod Chandran, expressed its determination to settle the matter definitively. The Court's focus is on achieving parity without creating new legal parameters.

The issue stems from the contrasting pension schemes for judges elevated from the district judiciary and those from the Bar. The former group is under the New Pension Scheme, while the latter benefits from the Old Pension Scheme. This discrepancy has led to varied pension amounts for judges who retire from the same positions.

The deliberations around this inequity will continue, with the Court emphasizing a humane approach over a strictly legal one. In recent observations, the apex court highlighted the shockingly low pensions some judges receive, advocating for adjustments based on the final salary of high court judges, irrespective of their career origins.

(With inputs from agencies.)