Supreme Court Greenlights Retirement Age Increase for Madhya Pradesh Judges

The Supreme Court has cleared the path for increasing the retirement age of Madhya Pradesh's judicial officers to 61 years, finding no legal hurdles in the process. The directive comes as a response to a petition filed by the Madhya Pradesh Judges Association in 2018, initially seeking a raise to 62 years.

The bench, led by Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih, urged the Madhya Pradesh High Court to make a decision within two months regarding the proposed change. The Judges Association shifted its stance to request an age limit of 61 years, following a precedent from a similar case in another state.

Previously, the Madhya Pradesh High Court had turned down the request based on a 2002 Supreme Court judgment in the All India Judges Association case. However, in light of a more recent order from an application by the Telangana government, the Supreme Court found that there is no legal barrier in increasing the retirement age, provided the Madhya Pradesh High Court consents administratively.

(With inputs from agencies.)