Supreme Court pushes for raising retirement age in district judiciary to 62 as case backlog exceeds five crore
The Supreme Court of India has directed state governments to increase the retirement age of district judicial officers from 60 to 62 years to address a backlog of over five crore cases. While some states have complied, others remain hesitant due to concerns over financial burdens and potential demands for parity from other state employees.
Why it matters
Increasing the retirement age is a critical step in retaining experienced judicial talent to help clear the massive backlog of cases in the Indian legal system.
As 5.18 crore cases lie pending in district courts across the country, the Supreme Court has sent a distress call to States to enhance the retirement age of experienced judicial officers from 60 to 62 years.
The court said the “crying need of the hour” is to stop the attrition of the experienced judicial talent lest access to justice remain a mere chimera due to unfilled posts.
Only seven States have so far responded positively to the SOS from the Supreme Court. Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal have agreed to enhance the retirement age of their judicial officers.
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