Huge Disparity Between Pay Scale Of Judicial Officers And Court Staff: Kerala Judicial Officers' Assn Submits Before Supreme Court

The Kerala Judicial Officers' Association, an association representing all the Judicial Officers of the District Judiciary in the State of Kerala, has filed an application before the Supreme Court stating that court staff in subordinate courts in the state are paid more than judicial officers in the State.

It is submitted that after the state approved the recommendations of the Eleventh Pay Revision Commission on Revision of Pay and Allowances of State Government of Employees and teachers, and subordinate "Court Staff", a huge disparity has been brought about between the pay scale of Judicial Officers and Court officers, wherein, the pay scale of Court Staff is now higher than that of Judicial Officers.

This is stated to have disrupted the whole mechanism of the judiciary and seniority of the Judicial Officers over the Court Officers.

The Kerala government had revised the pay structure for court staff by a Government Order dated February 10, 2021, by which it approved the recommendations of the Eleventh Pay Revision Commission.

"That as per the GO, the pay scale of Munsiff Magistrate in entry category is Rs. 27,700/-, in cases where pay scale of Sub-Judge is less than even Rs. 40,000/-", the application submits.

The Supreme Court had constituted a new National Judicial Pay Commission in 2017 to examine the pay structure and other conditions of Judicial Officers belonging to the sub-ordinate judiciary all over the country.

The Second National Judicial Pay Commission had then submitted its final report recommending an increase in the pay, pension and allowances of judicial officers.

Last year, the Supreme Court had passed a peremptory order asking the State Governments to file their replies to the recommendations of the Commission.

The Association has thus submitted that other State Governments might also have passed and implemented similar Government Orders, vis-a-vis, Pay scale of Judiciary, which are in contravention with the relief being sought in the plea filed before it in 2015 and thus, the same requires the urgent intervention of the Court.

It is thus sought that the application association be impleaded as a Respondent Party in Writ Petition and also be allowed to file a detailed Affidavit.