New Delhi: The Union cabinet on Wednesday approved increases in the salaries, gratuity payments, allowances and pensions payable to judges of the Supreme Court and the high courts.

The increases in salary and allowances will benefit 31 judges of the Supreme Court, including the Chief Justice, and 1,079 high court judges. Around 2,500 retired judges will also benefit on account of higher pensions and gratuity payments, a ministry of law and justice statement said.

The basic salary of Supreme Court judges may be raised by over 60% to as much as Rs2.5 lakh per month. The figure is likely to be as high as Rs2.8 lakh for the chief justice of India. A similar hike is also expected in the salary of high court judges to as much as Rs2.25 lakh, NDTV 24X7 news channel reported.

The increases follow the implementation of recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission in respect of civil servants.

Arrears on account of revised salaries, gratuity, pension and family pension with effect from 1 January 2016 will be paid as one time lump sum, the statement added.

“There is a separate legislation which governs the salary and pension of judges…the draft has been approved by the Cabinet to be effective from 1 January 2016," finance minister Arun Jaitley said at a media briefing on cabinet decisions.

Law and IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, who was also present at the briefing, said a bill would be introduced in Parliament to effect the pay hike.

The approval will pave the way for necessary amendments in two laws—Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Act, 1958 and High Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Act, 1954, which govern the salaries paid to members of the higher judiciary.

Earlier this month, the cabinet approved the appointment of a second national judicial pay commission for the subordinate judiciary. The commission will decide on a salary hike for almost 21,000 judges at the subordinate judiciary level. It will aim at arriving at a uniform pay scale for members of the subordinate judiciary throughout the country.

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