New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Union government to constitute a committee within two weeks to lay down uniform guidelines governing the facilities extended to retired High Court judges across the country, after noting sharp disparities in how different States treat their former judicial officers.
The Order
A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana observed that there was no consistency in the facilities being made available to retired High Court judges from State to State. Chief Justice Kant remarked that while some States provided everything a retired judge required, others did nothing at all. The Bench held that this variation could not be justified, since the entitlements in question flowed from the judge's constitutional office and not from the fiscal capacity or discretion of the individual State.
The Court noted that the Union government also releases funds for these facilities, and on that basis directed that a committee be set up to frame uniform guidelines as well as the mechanism for disbursing financial assistance. The Bench recorded that there can indeed be no doubt that these facilities must be ensured on a uniform basis, as there is no reason whatsoever for such amenities to vary from State to State, adding that it had impressed upon the Union of India to constitute a committee for this purpose.
The committee has been directed to submit its recommendations to the Union government and to place the same before the Court within three months of its constitution. The Court will take up the matter again after three months.
Security and Secretarial Assistance Flagged
During the hearing, the Bench also touched upon the adequacy of security cover and secretarial support presently extended to retired High Court judges. Justice Bagchi observed that security of one police officer for five years is reasonable for a High Court judge, noting that such judges continue to deal with sensitive matters even after demitting office.
Chief Justice Kant separately drew attention to the modest financial provision currently made for ancillary support, remarking on the clause providing fifteen thousand rupees for secretarial services, security, travel etc, as an illustration of the inadequacy the Court sought to address through the proposed uniform policy.
Case Details
Case: In the matter of facilities for retired High Court judges (Supreme Court, suo motu/administrative directions) Court: Supreme Court of India Bench: Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana Date of Order: July 20, 2026 Direction: Union government to constitute a committee within two weeks to frame uniform guidelines and a financial assistance mechanism for facilities to retired High Court judges; committee to submit recommendations to the Union government and place them before the Court within three months Next Listing: After three months
