The Rajya Sabha considered and returned the High Court and Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Amendment Bill, a Money Bill, on Monday. The Lok Sabha had passed it last week.

The Bill amends the High Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Act, 1954, and the Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Act, 1958. According to the Bill, the family of a judge will be entitled to an additional quantum of pension or family pension. “Accordingly, the additional quantum of pension to retired Judges of the High Court and Supreme Court is being sanctioned on completing the age of 80 years, 85 years, 90 years, 95 years, and 100 years, as the case may be,” said Law Minister Kiran Rijiju in the Statement on Objects and Reasons of the Bill.

Moving the Bill in the Upper House, Rijiju said it is a very limited amendment, which was brought for a limited purpose. “It is not going to affect in any manner the judges’ salaries. It is only related to a quantum jump in the pension of retired judges of the Supreme Court and the High Courts,” he added.

Opposition flays Centre

The MPs, during the debate on the Bill, raised issues such as huge backlog of cases in various courts and the issue of judicial activism. Congress MP Amee Yajnik urged the Centre to fill the vacancies of judges considering the huge backlog. “Is this government sensitive in filling the vacancies? We need so many judges at High Courts,” she said.

Lawyer and DMK MP P Wilson said 57 lakh cases are pending before the High Courts and around 75,000 before the Supreme Court. “There are 402 vacancies in the High Courts out of a total sanctioned strength of 1,098 judges and the Law Minister had recently said the delay in the appointment of judges was due to procedural reasons,” he added.

Earlier, the House witnessed brief adjournments over the suspension of 12 Opposition MPs. Leader of the House, Piyush Goyal, said the Centre is trying to reach out to the Opposition but the MPs are not ready to apologise.

Opposition leader Mallikarjun Kharge said the Centre is not willing to find a solution. “The Government cannot dictate what the Opposition should or should not do. They are refusing to concede our request and are putting blame on us. The government is adamant and is provoking us to disrupt the House,” he said announcing a walk out.

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