The Supreme Court on Monday indicated that it may consider issuing notice to all States, Union Territories and High Courts while hearing applications concerning the retirement age of judicial officers in the long-pending All India Judges Association case.

The matter arises in the backdrop of the Court’s continuing oversight of service conditions of the subordinate judiciary. Earlier this year, the Court had observed that there was no legal impediment to States enhancing the retirement age of judicial officers from 60 to 61 years, leaving the final decision to the respective High Courts and State Governments on the administrative side.

During the hearing, counsel submitted that the issue had assumed a pan-India dimension and issued notice. The Court also noted that similar questions regarding the retirement age of judicial officers had arisen in multiple States and remarked that the issue required a holistic consideration rather than a piecemeal approach.

Another application sought clarification that professional experience gained by law officers working in Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) should also be counted for eligibility under the Court’s earlier judgment requiring three years’ practice at the Bar before entry into the judicial service. Counsel submitted that while judicial law clerks had been granted the benefit under the judgment, similarly placed PSU law officers risked being excluded. Taking note of the submissions, the Bench indicated that it would consider the issue along with the other pending applications.

The All India Judges Association litigation, pending since 1989, has shaped the service conditions of the subordinate judiciary across India, dealing with issues including recruitment, pay scales, promotions, retirement age and other conditions of service through a series of landmark judgments.