Increase Retirement Age Of SC Judges To 67 Years And HC Judges To 65 Years: Parliamentary Panel Recommends [Read Report]

A Parliamentary Panel has recommended that the retirement age of Supreme Court Judges should be increased to 67 years and that of High Court Judges should be increased to 65 years, opining that this would help in retaining the existing Judges, and would, therefore, be helpful in reducing judicial vacancies as well as the pendency of cases.

In its 96th report on Demands for Grants (2018-19), the Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances and Law and Justice headed by Mr. Bhupender Yadav notes that as on 1 January 2018, 55,495 cases are pending in the Supreme Court and 34.27 lakh cases are pending before the High Courts throughout the country.

It also takes note of the vacancy of Judges in the High Courts, and opines that the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court in the case of Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association and another v. Union of India are not being adhered to. Making reference to this case, it asserts that it is the "responsibility of the Supreme Court in its administrative side to direct the concerned High Courts to initiate the process of filling-up vacancies in advance".

It then states, "The Committee is of the view that to reduce pendency of cases, the existing vacancy positions of judges need to be filled up immediately and the vacancies arising in future should be filled strictly as per the guidelines in the Second Judges case."