It refers to a bill that needs to be introduced in Lok Sabha now for giving a pay-hike to judges. While it was not proper to keep judges waiting for a pay-hike after bureaucrats got pay-hike much before after implementation of Pay Commission report, it is also unjustified to create a class-distinction between bureaucrats, judges and those in legislature by having separate norms for pay-fixation.
A Rajya Sabha member has rightly advocated for linking salaries of Parliamentarians with Pay Commission recommendations. Country should have a system whereby President, Vice President, Prime Minister, all judges of Supreme Court and High Courts, Parliamentarians may all get salaries and benefits including post-retirement ones equivalent to highest paid bureaucrat and service-chiefs. All these highly posted persons must not be treated partially with higher salaries because their needs must not be taken as above of bureaucrats. Since pension for government employees has since been discontinued, equality demands that pensions of President, Vice President, Prime Minister, all judges of Supreme Court and High Courts, Parliamentarians should also be done away.
Judges have misused their power by gifting themselves life-time domestic help for themselves and their spouses after retirement at government-expense. Such misused power must be snatched from judges who should be justified in their approach by not being extra privileged than others.
Subhash Chandra Agrawal
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
