SC Summons Chief Secretaries Of 18 States, UTs For SNJPC Non-Compliance

The chief secretaries from 18 states and Union Territories must appear in person before the Supreme Court due to their failure to implement the Second National Judicial Pay Commission’s recommendations on pension arrears and retirement benefits for judicial officers.

The top bureaucrats from Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Bihar, Goa, Haryana, and Odisha have been summoned to explain the delay.

Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra will hear the case at 10:30 a.m. The court expressed frustration with the lack of compliance, noting, “I can see there is no substantive compliance. They will have to personally appear before us or we will issue non-bailable warrants (NBW) against them.”

The issue was raised after K Parmeswar, assisting as amicus curiae, reported that these states and UTs had not fully implemented the SNJPC recommendations despite several extensions and court orders. The All India Judges Association (AIJA) seeks to ensure welfare measures for former judges and judicial officers are put into effect.

The court rejected requests for virtual appearances and emphasized that the chief secretaries must attend in person. Initially, 23 states were summoned on July 11, but after some complied, the remaining officials are now required to appear on August 27.

The court has already given seven opportunities for compliance and stated it will not grant any more extensions. It has ordered a two-judge committee in each high court to oversee the implementation of the SNJPC recommendations, stressing the importance of uniform service conditions for judicial officers.

The SNJPC recommendations address pay structures, pensions, family pensions, and allowances, and aim to establish a permanent mechanism for the service conditions of the district judiciary.

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