New Delhi: Domestic help, a chauffeur and a secretarial assistant for lifetime will be some of the perks awaiting a Chief Justice of India post retirement, according to a new notification issued on Friday.
The government has also increased the round-the-clock security cover at the CJI’s residence from one-year to five-year after retirement.
“The following staff shall be deployed with a retired Chief Justice during his lifetime from the establishment of the Supreme Court or a High Court with full pay and allowances admissible to regular employees of the Supreme Court — (a) domestic help (equivalent to the level of Junior Court Attendant) and (b) chauffeur (equivalent to the level of chauffeur in the SC), secretarial assistant (equivalent to the level of Branch Level in the SC),” the Ministry of Law and Justice’s notification read, adding that the first two benefits would be extended also to the retired SC judges.
The benefits of the amended rules will be extended to all living former CJIs and retired Supreme Court judges.
A similar notification had come on Tuesday after the central government amended the Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Act, 1958 — also known as ‘Supreme Court Judges Rules’ — following a request from the SC seeking additional benefits for former judges of the apex court.
The Tuesday notification had modified earlier rules (from before 23 August) to make the SC judges/CJI entitled to a chauffeur and a secretarial assistant for one year after retirement and the CJI eligible for round-the-clock security cover at his/her residence, in addition to a 24/7 personal security guard, for one year after retirement.
For former CJIs, the previous notification had also mentioned provisions such as rent-free Type-VII government accommodation in Delhi for six months after retirement, and gave entitles that would include courtesies at ceremonial lounges at airports.
The government had made the changes reportedly because several retired judges end up living alone and had no help at all. “We often have to reach out to high courts to assist former SC judges in case of an emergency,” a source had told ThePrint.
The request was fast-tracked after the then Justice N.V. Ramana had taken up with the ministry upon assuming charge as the CJI in April last year.
(Edited by Tony Rai)