SC Welcomes 14 States’ Nod to Raise District Judges’ Retirement Age

The Supreme Court on Monday said 14 states have agreed to increase the retirement age of district judicial officers from 60 to 62 years, expressing hope that others would follow suit.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana declined to urgently list separate pleas filed by judicial officers nearing retirement or those who had recently retired.

“This pertains to the persuasive jurisdiction of this court. The issue is between the Supreme Court and the states,” the bench said.

Senior advocate Ranjit Kumar sought an urgent hearing, pointing out that judicial officers were retiring every day. However, the bench said it had listed the main petition but would not entertain individual pleas for urgent consideration.

On September 4, the Supreme Court directed seven states Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal to raise the retirement age of district judicial officers to 62 years, subject to suitability and performance assessments by the respective high courts.

The court also said judicial officers in these states who retired on or after March 31, 2026, could opt to rejoin the judiciary, provided they had not taken up subsequent employment.

It directed the states to amend their service rules, preferably within two months. Until the amendments are made, officers who have reached 60 years should not retire before turning 62, subject to assessment by the concerned high court.

The bench had also asked several other states and Union Territories, including Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana, to reconsider their positions on the proposed increase. It had earlier said financial constraints could not be cited as a reason to oppose the move.

The Supreme Court was hearing a petition seeking a uniform retirement age of 62 for district judiciary judges across the country. While Supreme Court judges retire at 65 and high court judges at 62, district judicial officers generally retire at 60. The issue dates back to a 2002 judgment in which the apex court declined to accept a commission’s recommendation to raise the district judiciary’s retirement age to 62.