SC asks states to comply with 2012 direction for enhancement of pension of retd judicial officers

The Supreme Court has directed all the state governments to comply with its 2012 direction for the enhancement of the pension of retired judicial officers.

A three-judge bench headed by Justice L Nageswara Rao directed the states to submit a report of compliance within four weeks.

”By an order dated October 8, 2012, this Court directed that existing pension of all the past pensioners who had retired after January 1, 1996, and the pensioners whose pensions were consolidated as per Karnataka model shall be raised by 3.07 times on par with the other pensioners subject to a minimum of 50 per cent of the revised pay scale of their respective posts.

”Implementation of the direction dated October 8, 2012, does not brook any further delay,” the bench, also comprising Justices B R Gavai and Aniruddha Bose, said.

The order came on a plea filed by the All India Retired Judges Association seeking the existing pensions of all past pensioners who retired after January 1, 1996, and the pensioners whose pensions were consolidated as per the Karnataka model shall be raised by 3.07 times on par with the other pensioners.

The applicant contended that the said direction has not been fully complied with by some states and not complied with at all by a few states.

The counsel appearing for the applicant submitted that some of the retired judicial officers are almost 90 years of age.

He said that it has nearly been a decade since the direction was issued by this Court to pay pension in accordance with the formula mentioned therein.