The poor my lord!
Should Judges Stand Before Governments With Begging Bowls?
'It gives us the feeling that all governments, central and state, irrespective of parties, want judges to be standing before them with begging bowls,'' lamented Justice K P Sivasubramaniam of Madras High Court during his retirement address yesterday. He said that because judges do not have a lobby in Parliament or with politicians they are lowly paid. He however added that low pay should not discourage a judge from discharging his duties as they had entered the service knowing fully well as to what would be paid and having become a judge had to perform his duty to the utmost satisfaction.
He admitted that the taxpayer had the right to judge judges, but should also question whether the judges are properly paid.
“Tax payers who are our pay masters are entitled to express disappointment on whatever issue they are not satisfied with in our performance. At the same time I feel that the tax payers should also ask themselves whether the judiciary and individual judges are given all that is necessary to ensure independence."
"I am sure any practical and sensible tax payer would gracefully agree that the infrastructure, salary and perks given to judges of High Court and Supreme Court do not reflect what they deserve. At the outset I hasten to state categorically that no judge has any business to cite that as an excuse if any behaviour on his part was unworthy of a judicial officer."
In 1950 a High Court judge used to get a salary of Rs. 3500 per month.
If judges have to worry about how to make ends meet, it is a sad commentary on our judicial system and it is time society and government should seriously ponder whether we allow our judges a decent living so as to enable them to give us decent judgements. And so the views expressed by a retiring judge should deserve all attention.
While a retiring judge is angry about low salaries, a serving Chief Justice is again in controversy. Chief Justice BK Roy of the Guwahati High Court is again facing the prospect of a transfer barely six months after he was last transferred. Last time around lawyers stood by him, but now they are also demanding his transfer. The Chief Justice is not exactly in the best of terms with his brother judges!