The government of Pakistan has approved a substantial increase in the house rent and judicial allowances for judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts.
According to a presidential amendment decree, issued with the approval of Acting President Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, the house rent for Supreme Court judges has been raised from Rs68,000 to Rs350,000 per month, while their judicial allowances have been increased from Rs428,040 to Rs4,281,163.
The judicial allowance hike for the Supreme Court judges represents a significant rise, with the new allowance now reaching Rs4.28 million. Additionally, the tax on their allowances has been raised to Rs11.61 million.
Similarly, the house rent for High Court judges has also been raised from Rs65,000 to Rs350,000, while their judicial allowance has been increased from Rs342,000 to Rs1,090,000.
The Ministry of Law and Justice issued a formal notification after Acting President Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani's approval, confirming these increases.
The changes come amid ongoing discussions regarding the size of Pakistan's judiciary. The Supreme Court currently has 17 judges, though a recent parliamentary law allows for the expansion of the court to 34 judges, with the appointment of an additional 17 judges still pending.
It is also noteworthy that the salary increases follow an earlier order issued by the Acting President and Chairman of the Senate, Sadiq Sanjrani, on July 4.
This order set the monthly salary for the Chief Justice of Pakistan at Rs1.22 million, while other senior judges of the Supreme Court will now receive Rs1.16 million.
These increases were part of broader efforts to address the financial needs of the judiciary.
Previously, in June 2022, former President Dr. Arif Alvi had approved the monthly salary of the Chief Justice at Rs. 1.02 million, with other senior judges earning approximately Rs. 1.16 million.
