It refers to shocking news-item that Delhi Government on 30.05.2017 through a notification approved one domestic help for all the retired judges of Delhi High Court and their spouses, subsequent to judges of Delhi High Court passing a resolution to this effect in April this year. Earlier Supreme Court judges also arranged similar facility for themselves in November 2016 subsequent to a resolution passed in the conference of Chief Justices held in New Delhi on 22-23 April 2016. It is doubted that other High Courts may soon follow the same in coming days.
Disgusting logic behind the move is that it is pathetic to see retired judges standing in queues for payment of water or power bills, without citing even a single incident in present era of on-line payments. Is pension of retired judges is not even enough that they may hire domestic help. Many retired judges are minting money by being appointed as arbitrators by the courts. Their children earn enough to support their parents through a domestic help. It is indeed pathetic that retired judges may be further privileged with such a princely facility when most ordinary senior citizens in the country even cannot afford basic necessities. There is no system of domestic help in foreign countries which prevails in India because of cost of manual labour being much lower as compared to that in advanced countries.
Delhi government in larger public interest should not have allowed such a monarchy-type princely burden on the public-exchequer. It is time that Supreme Court judges may rise to the occasion by sue-motto surrendering the facility of a domestic help at public-expense for themselves and their spouses after their retirement, and even advise High Courts to do away with the totally unwanted anti-public practice for ensuring equality in the society. Rather a system should be evolved whereby persons holding top posts in legislature and judiciary may have pay and post-retirement benefits at par with top-most bureaucrat of the country i.e. Union Cabinet Secretary with their pay and other benefits auto-changed according to implementation of reports of Pay-Commissions.
SUBHASH CHANDRA AGRAWAL