Call to aise retirement age of judges to 65

CHENNAI: Justice Ajit Prakash Shah, former Chief Justice of the Madras and Delhi High Courts, has called for a raise in the retirement age of judges of the higher judiciary from 62 to 65 years to preserve the independence of the judiciary.Delivering a lecture on `judges, appointments and their accountability’ at a function jointly organised by the Palkhivala Foundation and S Govind Swaminathan Trust here on Saturday, Justice Shah said that the political patronage that a judge acquired through his office, a promotion, preferential treatment or the promise of a plum posting after retirement, could give rise to corruption if and when the Executive made demands on such judge. Also, frequent socialising with particular members of the legal profession, Executive or the Legislature or with litigants was almost certain to raise suspicions that the judge was susceptible to undue influence in the discharge of his duties.Even though Justice Shah claimed that a majority of the judges were hardworking, intelligent and honest, a few judges were inappropriately influenced in their decision making, he said.In the recent past, several instances of judicial misdemeanor had come in the public domain, thereby causing damage to the image of the judiciary. In the face of such harm caused by judicial corruption, some questioned why judicial independence should create a barrier to any potentially effective means of ensuring judicial accountability. Judicial independence, however, should not be so lightly dismissed, he added.