Amid MP judges’ plea to raise retirement age, CJI jokes about ‘race’ for SC

CJI GAVAI MADE THE OBSERVATION WHILE THE SC WAS HEARING A PETITION TO RAISE THE RETIREMENT AGE OF JUDICIAL OFFICERS IN M.P. FROM 60 TO 61

- Ayesha Arvind

Chief Justice of India BR Gavai on Thursday, observed in a lighter vein, that there exists a “race” among high court judges to reach the Supreme Court only because such elevation brings with it three additional years of service.

“When one is Chief Justice of a high court, one is the king of the entire State. At the Supreme Court, you end up ina two-bed-room guest house shared with others for months,” the CJI said, adding that the incentive lay not in housing but in the extended retirement age of 65, compared to 62 in the high courts.