advertisement
There are no plans to raise the retirement age of Supreme Court and high court judges, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Wednesday, 18 July.
Prasad was asked about reports claiming that a constitutional amendment bill to increase the retirement age of judges of the Supreme Court and the 24 High Courts by two years, was being prepared.
At present, while SC judges retire at the age of 65, HC judges demit office at 62.
Reports claimed, citing a report of parliamentary standing committee on Law, that the government was planning to increase the retirement age.
The bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha but never came up for discussion and passage.
Responding to reports about government's plans to increase retirement age of judges, former Union minister Yashwant Sinha on 18 July, asked the opposition to fight "tooth and nail" any such, saying it is aimed at denying promotion to Justice Ranjan Gogoi.
"The move to raise the retirement age of judges by two years is a mischievous move to deny promotion to Justice Gogoi. The opposition should oppose the move tooth and nail," the former BJP leader had tweeted earlier in the day.
The high courts have a combined approved strength of 1,079, but they are functioning with 673 judges -- a shortfall of 406.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)
Published: undefined