Cabinet nod to new Pay Commission for lower judiciary

New Delhi, Nov 10 (IANS) The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday approved the appointment of a Second National Judicial Pay Commission for the subordinate judiciary.

Headed by former Supreme Court judge J.P. Venkatrama Reddi, the Commission aims at making the pay scales and conditions of service of judicial officers uniform throughout the country, and is expected to make its recommendations to the state governments in 18 months time.

"It will examine the present structure of emoluments and conditions of service of judicial officers in the states and Union Territories. The Commission aims to evolve the principles which would govern pay structure and other emoluments of judicial officers belonging to the subordinate judiciary of the country," an official release said.

"It will examine the work methods and work environment as also the variety of allowance and benefits in kind that are available to judicial officers in addition to pay and to suggest rationalization and simplification thereof," it added.

The Commission will devise its own procedures and formulate modalities necessary for accomplishing the task.

The recommendations of the Commission will help in promoting efficiency in judicial administration, optimising the size of judiciary and to remove "anomalies created in implementation of earlier recommendations".

R. Basant, a former judge of the Kerala High Court, is the member of the Commission.