Supreme Court gives High Courts 4 weeks to form panels to implement Judicial Pay Commission recommendations

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed all High Courts to ensure compliance with its January 2024 directions to form Committee for Service Conditions of the District Judiciary (CSDJs/ committees) for implementing the recommendations of the Second National Judicial Pay Commission with respect to salaries and service conditions of members of district judiciary and for dealing with grievances of judicial officers..The committees should be constituted within four weeks, a Bench comprising Justices BR Gavai, Augustine George Masih and K Vinod Chandran directed.The Court also ordered that the concerned retired District Judge, who is a member of such committee, should be appointed as the nodal officer of the committee to address the grievances of judicial officers.Towards that end, the High Court has to allot an office space to the concerned nodal officer and the officer shall be entitled to a monthly compensation of ₹75,000, the top court ordered."To provide a location for judicial personnel to file grievances, High Courts were directed to set aside office space on their property for the nodal officer. In addition to their pensions, the nodal officers would receive a monthly compensation of ₹75,000. Nodal officers must visit other benches in High Courts with multiple benches in order to resolve complaints from judicial officers working in those jurisdictions. The corresponding State governments will pay for the travel and day expenses associated with such trips," the Court directed.The directions were passed after Amicus Curiae K Parameshwar told the apex court that several High Courts have not yet established the committees in line with the January 2024 verdict.Additionally, regular meetings are not being held even in cases when committees have been established. As a result of this circumstance, the Supreme Court is now receiving an increasing number of individual applications from judicial officers. The amicus further noted that nodal officials for the committees have not yet been appointed by numerous High Courts. The Court noted that forming the committees was intended to prevent the Supreme Court from being inundated with individual grievances. It observed that effective implementation of the January 2024 directives could resolve most issues at the committee level itself. "We therefore urge all High Courts to comply with the directions issued by this Court on January 4, 2024. High Courts that have not yet constituted the committees are directed to do so within four weeks," the bench stated in its order of Tuesday..Within the same four-week period, the Court also ordered retired District Judges to be appointed as Nodal Officers for the committees..The committees have to meet at least every 3 months and State governments have 3 months from the date of the decision to put individual grievance decisions into effect. Judicial officers may petition the appropriate High Courts for remedy if they are unhappy with the rulings of the CSCDJs or if such rulings are not carried out, the Supreme Court added.The apex court also instructed its registrar general to send the directive to the registrar generals of all High Courts and the chief secretaries of every State and Union Territory..As outlined in the January 4, 2024, order, the CSCDJs are to include:- Two High Court judges nominated by the Chief Justice, one of whom must have prior experience in the district judiciary;- The Law Secretary or Legal Remembrancer.- The Registrar General of the High Court, serving as an ex officio Secretary of the committee;- A retired District Judge, appointed by the Chief Justice, who will act as a Nodal Officer for day-to-day grievance redressal.