Retirement Age of High Court Judges to be 65 - What about others?
ONE of the Bills mentioned above proposes to enhance the retirement age of High Court Judges from the present 62 to 65. Will there be a consequential increase in the retirement age of other judges and Government Officers. In the CESTAT, the retirement age of the president (a sitting or former judge of a High Court) is 65. Now where will they get sitting or former High Court judges to preside over CESTAT? Which sitting Judge or Chief Justice of a High Court would join the CESTAT when the retirement age is same? Will they make the retirement age 68 for CESTAT President and for heads of similar Tribunals?
And what about bureaucrats – will they get a retirement age of 62? When the top political masters of the Country, both the ruling and opposition variety are all above seventy years old, perhaps there is nothing wrong in having 62 year old babus and 65 year old judges. When a Supreme Court judge can continue until 65, perhaps there is no logic in retiring a High Court judge at 62.
Maybe they should make a uniform retirement age of 70 years for all judges and Government servants, subject to passing a medical exam every year!