CABINET SETS UP NEW PAY PANEL FOR LOWER JUDICIARY

The Union Cabinet on Friday constituted a 2-member second national judicial pay commission for the subordinate judiciary in the country in an attempt to usher in uniformity in the pay scales and conditions of service of the judicial officers in the lower judiciary throughout the country.

The pay commission will be headed by retired Supreme Court judge J P Venkatrama Reddi. Former Kerala High Court judge Justice R Basant is a member of the panel. The Commission has been directed to give its recommendations within 18 months to the state governments who actually pay salaries to the lower judiciary.

The commission has been asked to examine the present structure of emoluments and conditions of service of the subordinate judiciary officers in the states and the union territories and evolve the principles to government pay structure and emoluments of these judges.

“It will examine the work methods and work environment as also the variety of allowance and benefits in kind that are available to Judicial Officers in addition to pay and to suggest rationalisation and simplification thereof,” a law ministry official said.

He said the recommendations of the Commission will help in promoting efficiency in judicial administration, optimizing the size of judiciary etc and remove anomalies created in implementation of earlier recommendations.