Raising retirement age of High Court judges would require consultation with Attorney General, legal luminaries: Law Minister to P Wilson

Raising the retirement age of High Court judges would require broad-based consultation with stakeholders including the Attorney General for India, Finance Ministry, Legislative Department, Department of Legal Affairs and legal luminaries, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said. .The Law Minister was responding to Member of Parliament (MP) and Senior Advocate P Wilson who, in his Rajya Sabha 'Zero Hour' speech, had raised the issue of retirement age of judges. In a letter addressed to Wilson on April 13, Rijiju said said that this issue needs a holistic approach as it has implications over the entire court ecosystem, including tribunals etc. and also other functionaries of the government.He, thus, stated that the issue would require consultation with all stakeholders.Additionally, the Union Minister said that it would be appropriate to consider this issue comprehensively along with other measures to ensure transparency and accountability in making appointments to the higher judiciary.In his letter, Rijiju also pointed out that the Constitution (114th Amendment) Bill, 2010 sought to increase the retirement age of High Court judges from 62 to 65 years, and was introduced in the Lok Sabha. However, it could not be taken up for consideration, and on completion of the 15th Lok Sabha term, it lapsed..In his zero hour speech the Wilson had noted that there was a consensus among all parties and members that it was time to increase the age of retirement of judges to strengthen the judiciary which was suffering from vacancies and large pendency.He drew attention to the fact that many standing committee reports had also consistently recommended this increase in retirement age. However, the same had not been deliberated by the government..Wilson had previously written to the Union Law Minister calling for the Central government's support to pass laws for increasing the age of High Court Judges from the present 62 years to 65 years..In fact, in December 2019, he had introduced a Private Member Bill to increase the retirement age of High Court judges to 65 years. In his Bill, Wilson had highlighted that one of the chief causes of the huge case pendency faced in India is the large number of vacancies in High Courts across the country..[Read the Union Law Minister's Letter]