Supreme Court has sought responses from all states and UTs on uniform retirement age for District Judges. Question: if High Court judges retire at 62, why should District Judges retire at 60?
Currently most states have 60 years for district judiciary. SC wants uniformity and to utilize experienced judges longer.Judicial analysis: India has 5.1 crore pending cases. 4.4 crore are in district courts.
Giving 2 more years to experienced judges means 25% more disposal capacity without new recruitment. District judges handle 80% of criminal trials, land disputes, bail - where delay hurts most.But challenges exist. Financial - states will bear extra salary and pension load. Estimated Rs 1,200 crore annually.
Administrative - promotion pipeline choked. Young lawyers waiting for judicial services exam will see vacancies delayed by 2 years.
SC's move shows seriousness on judicial reform. If retirement becomes 62, it will strengthen lower judiciary, reduce dependence on ad-hoc judges, and bring parity.