I do not for a moment consider that the Chief Justice and the Judges or the Auditor-General should not have proper salaries. In fact I feel that these officers should have handsome salaries because we have put down many conditions on them in the provisions concerning them. They must retire at 65 and 60. In the ‘case of Supreme Court Judges also they will not be allowed to practice at the bar after retirement. All these are stringent conditions and I do feel that Judges of the High Court should be men who should be independent, who should not be afraid of giving rulings which may go counter to the wishes of the powers that be and for that purpose I think they must be above want, and should have no need to hanker after favours from the Executive. So the practice of giving them good salaries is quite wholesome and I also approve of the provisions. In fact I would very much like to settle the question of their pensions also. In England and America Judges of the Supreme Court have no age of retirement They go even up to ages of 80 and 90 and they have been very good judges even at these ages. We know that their pension is about three-fourths of their salaries, These arc very great advantages and that contributes to their independence in giving judgments. Therefore, I am not opposed to giving high salaries to Judges. Besides I also know that those people have got to maintain special standards of life. They have to be reserved and they are denied the privileges of mixing with people. They cannot have all the parties and entertainments which the Minister enjoy and so I do not grudge them the salary provided for them. But I do not think there should be any differentiation or distinction between the first incumbents and those who succeed them. Let them all have the same salary, and if you think the salaries given are not proper, you may raise the salaries, but let it not be that the present Chief Justice of the Supreme Court will get a higher salary and his successors will get less. This should not be done.
