CJI's royal perks: ₹2.8 lakh salary, luxurious facilities and more - The complete package

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Senior Supreme Court judge Justice Surya Kant has become the 53rd Chief Justice of India. His tenure will be 14 months. Appointment to the highest position in the country's judiciary often raises public curiosity about the salary and benefits of the Chief Justice of India and other Supreme Court judges. Under government regulations and the recommendations of the Pay Commission, the CJI is provided with a variety of special allowances and security in addition to his salary.

To understand the current salary and allowance structure, we need to go back a bit. Following the recommendations of the Central Pay Commission in 2016, the salaries of High Court and Supreme Court judges were revised. Subsequently, the Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, gave final approval to the proposal to revise judges' salaries, allowances, and pensions on November 22, 2017. These revisions have significantly altered the salary structure of judges.

Looking at the figures, the Chief Justice of India (CJI) currently receives a basic salary of ₹280,000 per month. In addition, he is given a house rent allowance (HRA) of 24 percent of his basic salary and a sumptuary allowance of ₹45,000 per month. The perks don't stop there; the CJI also receives a furnishing allowance of ₹10 lakh for his residence. For security purposes, after retirement, he receives an annual pension of ₹16.80 lakh, plus dearness allowance and a gratuity of ₹20 lakh.

Meanwhile, the salaries of other Supreme Court judges are paid ₹250,000 per month. Like the CJI, their house rent allowance is 24 percent of their basic salary, but their sumptuary allowance is ₹34,000 per month. Supreme Court judges receive ₹8 lakh as a furnishing allowance. Upon retirement, the annual pension for other judges is fixed at ₹1.5 million, and they also receive ₹2 million as gratuity.