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Supreme Court recommends 2-member panel in each HC for implementation of SNJPC

The Supreme Court has recommended a two-members panel in all high courts of the country to decide on salary and pension issues of judicial officers.

The Supreme Court on Thursday said it has recommended a two-judge panel in all high courts to ensure orders on pay, pension, and other retiral benefits for judicial officers as per the Second National Judicial Pay Commission (SNJPC), are implemented.
Supreme Court recommends 2-member panel in each HC for implementation of SNJPC (ETV Bharat file photo)

By ETV Bharat English Team

Published : Jan 4, 2024, 9:33 PM IST

New Delhi:The Supreme Court on Thursday said it has recommended a two-judge panel in all high courts to ensure orders on pay, pension, and other retiral benefits for judicial officers as per the Second National Judicial Pay Commission (SNJPC), are implemented.

A bench led by Chief Justice of India and comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra said serving and former judicial officers will also get cashless facilities for their medical examination. The SNJPC recommendations cover pay structure, pension and family pension and allowances. It also deals with the issue of establishing a permanent mechanism to determine subjects of service conditions of the district judiciary.

The apex court was hearing a plea filed by the All India Judges Association and others on pay and service conditions of judicial officers. The bench said the judgment on the issue is ready and will be pronounced soon, and it has accepted SNJPC recommendations. Sharing some details of the judgment, which is yet to be pronounced, the bench said every high court will have a two-person committee, comprising high court judges, including one who is elevated from the district judiciary, to deal with SNJPC-related issues and other grievances of serving and former judicial officers.

The bench said the senior-most high court judge, nominated by the chief justice of the high court, will be the chairperson of the committee. “The function of the committee will be to see proper implementation of SNJPC…,” said the bench.

Noting that certain empanelled hospitals in Uttar Pradesh are sub-standard, the bench said the hospitals that are on the Central Government Health Scheme panel, which provide cashless treatment, can be considered for empanelment for judicial officers.

The bench said the committee will be at liberty to direct incidental measures such as in cases where officers of the state who are serving outside the state and the committee can then consider empanelment of hospitals outside the state. The CJI said, "The devil is in the fine print...we are now leaving it to the high courts to look into this….”.

The high court committees will have to file reports to the top court on April 7 on implementation of SNJPC.

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