New Delhi, Jan 30: The central government has notified a nearabout 200 per cent salary hike for the judges of Supreme Court and 24 high courts. The increment is in accordance with the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission for officers of all-India services.

The Gazette notification issued on January 27 raises the salary of the Chief Justice of India from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2.8 lakh. The former pay, however, was exclusive of dearness and other allowances. The hiked salary, on the other hand, is inclusive of all perks and allowances.

The salary of other Supreme Court judges and Chief Justices of High Courts has been raised from Rs 90,000 to Rs 2,50,000 -- the amount equivalent to what the Cabinet Secretary, Comptroller Auditor General, Chief Election Commissioner and other top constitutional functionaries draw.

Other high court judges will get a revised salary of Rs 2.25 lakh, up from the incumbent pay of Rs 80,000. The increment will bring their salary on par that of secretary-level officers in the central government.

The judges would also be entitled to receive arrears of over past two years, as the salary hike has been approved in retrospective effect from January 1, 2016 -- the scheduled date for 7th Pay Commission's implementation.

Apart from the salaries, the pensions of retired judges would also be hiked using the fitment factor recommended by the seventh pay panel.

The notification of Centre came as a major relief to the incumbent and past judges, as they have been demanding a revision of their salaries and pensions for the past couple of years. In 2016, the then Chief Justice of India T S Thakur had written to the central government seeking early addressal of their demand.

The Centre had formed a three-member panel headed by him to make recommendations for the salary hike. The T S Thakur-led committee had sought an increase in the CJI's salary from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 3 lakh, and a hike using a similar fitment factor for other Supreme Court and High Court judges.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 30, 2018 07:10 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).