SC Directs Immediate Release Of Salaries Of Seven Patna High Court Judges

The Supreme Court bench comprising The Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices P.S. Narasimha and J.B. Pardiwala recently directed that the withheld salaries of seven Patna High Court judges shall be paid. The court was hearing a petition which put forth that the General Provident Fund accounts of these seven judges had been closed.

The accounts of these Judges were closed after their elevation to the high court from the state Judicial Services. They were earlier under the National Pension Scheme and those contributions were sent to their GPF accounts and then the problems arose.

These seven Judges included-

1) Justice Shailendra Singh

2) Justice Arun Kumar Jha

3) Justice Jitendra Kumar

4) Justice Alok Kumar

5) Justice Sunil Dutta Mishra

6) Justice Chandra Prakash Singh 

7) Justice Chandra Shekhar Jha

In the light of the aforementioned the court held-

“The salaries of the petitioners which have been withheld, shall be released to them on the basis of the position as it obtained prior to the letter dated 13 December 2022 of the Union Ministry of Law and Justice.” 

CASE: JUSTICE SHAILENDRA SINGH & ORS. V. UNION OF INDIA & ORS

WRIT  PETITION (CIVIL) NO. 232/ 2023