The Supreme Court has issued an interim order raising the retirement age of Madhya Pradesh judicial officers from 60 to 61, ensuring parity with state employees. The final decision will be heard after four weeks.
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NEW DELHI: In a move expected to impact the judicial officers across Madhya Pradesh, the Supreme Court of India has issued an interim order increasing the retirement age of subordinate judicial officers from 60 to 61 years. The decision provides immediate relief to officers who were nearing superannuation and opens the door for potential long-term policy changes.
The three-judge bench led by Chief Justice B.R. Gavai, along with Justice Prasanna B. Varale and Justice K. Vinod Chandran, questioned why judicial officers were being treated differently from other state government employees.
In Madhya Pradesh, most government staff retire at 62, but judicial officers were still bound to retire at 60, a discrepancy the bench found difficult to justify.
The Court also acknowledged the Telangana High Court’s recent decision on a similar issue, noting that uniformity across states strengthens fairness and administrative consistency in the judiciary.
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The apex court pointed out that both judicial officers and other government employees are paid from the same public exchequer, making an uneven retirement age unreasonable.
Raising the age to 61 also creates a balanced structure, maintaining a one-year difference from High Court judges, who retire at 62. According to the bench, this distinction is not only logical but administratively sound.
“It is needless to say that judicial officers as well as other employees of the state government draw salaries from the same public exchequer,”
the bench remarked.
Despite the Court’s observations, the proposal faced opposition. Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing the MP High Court, argued against altering the superannuation age at this stage.
However, the Supreme Court recalled its May 26 observation, where it found no legal barriers to enhancing the retirement age.
The issue has been under active consideration since October, when the Supreme Court issued notices to the Madhya Pradesh government and the High Court registry seeking clarity on their stance.
The new interim order ensures that no judicial officer is forced to retire at 60 while the matter remains sub judice.
The Supreme Court has listed the petition for final hearing in four weeks. Until then, the retirement age for judicial officers stands at 61, and any officer due to retire at 60 will receive the benefit of the interim order.
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