HC retired Chief Justices, judges or their spouse entitled to Rs 45k-50k for domestic help, driver

Indian Express

a day ago

Punjab and Haryana High Court retired Chief Justices or their spouses to get a consolidated amount of Rs 50,000 per month and retired Judges or their spouses to get Rs 45,000 per month to engage domestic help(s) and driver(s), besides Rs 15,000 per month towards expenses of rental and calls of mobiles, and/ or landline, Internet service, secretarial services and security service. However, all these benefits come with riders.
Exercising powers conferred by Article 229, read with Article 231, of the Constitution of India, Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatraya on Friday notified a set of rules called the Retired Chief Justices and Judges Domestic Help(s) and other Benefits Rules, 2025, that 'applies to a person who has held office either as Chief Justice or as a Judge of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana and their spouses'.
As per the rules, 'a retired Chief Justice or a Judge of the High Court or their spouse shall be entitled to avail the services of Domestic Help(s), Driver(s), Secretarial Assistance, Security and Telephone facility at the expenses of the High Court', subject to a few conditions, including 'they are not availing such or similar facility from any other High Court'.
'The retired Chief Justice/ Judge or their spouse may at her or his discretion select persons to be engaged as Domestic Help(s)/ Driver(s)', the rules mentioned.
'To enable the retired Chief Justice/ Judge, or their spouse, to engage domestic help(s), driver(s), the High Court shall provide a consolidated amount of Rs 45,000 per month to a retired Judge or spouse and Rs 50,000 per month to a retired Chief Justice or spouse,' the rules state.
The rules also have a provision of 'secondment' that states: 'The retired Chief Justice/ Judge or their spouse may request to avail the services of maximum of two employees working in Last Grade Service of the High Court, one of whom may be a Driver; (OR) If any employee working in Last Grade Service of the High Court furnishes to the Registrar General of the High Court, a request in writing to serve a retired Chief Justice/ Judge or their spouse, as the case may be, and the services of such employee(s) is/ are acceptable to the retired Chief Justice/Judge or their spouse, as the case may be; They may be seconded to work with the retired Chief Justice/ Judge or their spouse until the employee(s) attain(s) the age of superannuation and/ or so long as the retired Chief Justice/ Judge or their spouse is entitled to this facility. It is made clear that if employees of the High Court are seconded, the retired Chief Justice/ Judge or their spouse, as the case may be, are not entitled to full reimbursement as stipulated in Rule-7 if two employees are provided by the High Court or 50% of the reimbursement mentioned in Rule-7 if only one employee of the High Court is provided. The said secondment shall be at the discretion of the Hon'ble Chief Justice and subject to the availability of staff'.
The rules further state: 'The retired Chief Justice/ Judge or their spouse, shall be paid Rs. 15,000 per month towards expenses of rental and calls of mobiles, and/ or landline, internet service, secretarial services and security service. However, this facility shall not be available if the retired Chief Justice/ Judge or their spouse, as the case may be, has accepted some assignment and has been provided the same facilities under that assignment, during the continuation of such assignment.'
'These Rules shall be in addition to and not in derogation of any other benefits, which are available to retired Chief Justice(s)/ Judge(s) and/ or their spouse(s)', the rules state.