Justice B.V. Nagarathna of the Supreme Court made a significant statement about salaries during vacations. On Tuesday (September 3, 2024), she was hearing a petition from a civil judge who had been dismissed and was seeking salary and allowances for the period of dismissal. The court rejected the judge’s petition, stating that it feels strange and difficult to take a salary for a time when one is not performing court duties.
The civil judge from Madhya Pradesh had been dismissed by the state government, but after intervention from the High Court, he was reinstated. After his reinstatement, the judge sought salary and allowances for the period of his dismissal through the Supreme Court. During the hearing, Justice Nagarathna commented, “It feels quite strange to receive a salary for the summer period because we are not doing any court work during that time.”
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Justice Nagarathna and Justice N. Kotiswar Singh were both hearing the case. The lawyer informed the Supreme Court that despite the dismissal of four judges being overturned, two judges are still terminated. Senior Advocate A. Basant suggested that the court should consider paying salaries and allowances for the period of dismissal.
In response, Justice Nagarathna said that salaries and allowances for that period cannot be given to judges who were not in service. She added, “Judges work in a particular manner. You cannot expect salary for a period when you were not in service. You were not working as a judge during that time, so you cannot claim salary for it. Our conscience does not allow for this.”
