Chief Justice of Pakistan, Iftikhar M Chaudhary celebrating his victory

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari today approved a 30 per cent increase in the salary and allowances of judges of the Supreme Court and high courts.

Under the revised pay structure, the Chief Justice of Pakistan has been given an increase of Rs60,000 per month (30 per cent increase). His salary will now be Rs259,838 against his previous salary of Rs199,838 per month.

Other judges of the Supreme Court will each get a salary of Rs245,457 per month against their earlier salary of Rs188,813 per month.

The chief justices of all high courts will get Rs240,825 per month instead of Rs185,250 while high court judges would now fetch a salary of Rs231,563 per month as against Rs178,125 they earlier drew.

Apart from the salary, the judicial allowance of the judges of the Supreme Court and high courts has also been increased and the chief justice and judges of the Supreme Court would now be taking a judicial allowance of Rs113,750 per month as against Rs87,500 per month.

Similarly, the chief justice and judges of high courts will now get Rs91,000 as against Rs70,000 after the increase in their judicial allowance.

The increase in salary and allowances of the judges shall come into force with retrospective effect from July 1, 2009.

The salary and allowances are allowed to judges of the Supreme Court under paras 1 and 2 of the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution (Supreme Court part) while the salary and allowances of the judges of high courts are allowed under paras 1 & 2 of the Fifth schedule (High Court part) to the Constitution.

The salary and perks of the judges were raised on a day when the legal fraternity was observing a ‘black day’ to mark the suspension of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry by former president Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf three years ago.

Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar said the president signed the summary that proposed increase in salaries and allowances of the superior court judges on the recommendations of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

The president signed the order during a ceremony at the presidency which was attended by Minister for Law and Justice Babar Awan, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira, Adviser to the prime minister Sardar Latif Khosa and senior government officials.

Supreme Court Registrar Dr Faqir Hussain said Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and other judges of the apex court would accept the increase because it was due from July 1, 2009.

“Judges of the Supreme Court and high courts did not avail the increase last year when the government had announced the overall increase in salaries of the government employees,” he claimed.

The increase in salaries of the judges, he said, had required a summary from the law ministry, which was moved to the president for approval after a lapse of eight months.

Under the provision of the fifth schedule to the Constitution, the president announces salaries and allowances of the judges of the Supreme Court and high courts through a presidential order.

Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar said the president signed the summary that proposed increase in salaries and allowances of the superior court judges on the recommendations of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.