Gurugram: Retired chief justices and judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, or their surviving spouses, are now entitled to a monthly reimbursement of Rs 50,000 and Rs 45,000, respectively, to engage domestic help or drivers. This comes with the implementation of the Retired Chief Justices and Judges Domestic Help(s) and Other Benefits Rules, 2025, a significant move to support retired judicial officers.
They will also receive a monthly allowance of Rs 15,000 for mobile or landline expenses, internet charges, secretarial services, and security arrangements.
Notified on 30 May and published in the Haryana government gazette, these rules promise a range of facilities for retired chief justices and judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, as well as their spouses, ensuring support to them post-retirement.
The rules, enacted under the authority of Article 229, read with Article 231, of the Constitution of India, came into effect upon publication.
The rules outline provisions for domestic help, drivers, secretarial assistance, security, and telecommunication facilities, all funded by the high court.
As an alternative, they may also request up to two employees from the high court’s Last Grade Service, including one driver, to be provided to them.
In such a case, the reimbursement is adjusted—halved for one employee and fully withheld in case of two. The secondment is subject to the discretion of the chief justice and staff availability.
However, these benefits are not available if the retired judicial officer or spouse is receiving similar facilities through another appointment or assignment.
To ensure the benefits keep pace with inflation, both amounts will see a 5 percent annual increase.
The rules also allow flexibility in selecting domestic help or drivers, empowering retirees or their spouses to choose personnel at their discretion. However, the benefits are conditional on not availing similar facilities from another high court or assignment.
“These Rules shall be in addition to and not in derogation of any other benefits, which are available to retired Chief Justice(s)/Judge(s) and/or their spouse(s), the notification,” issued by Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi, added.
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)