India’s Supreme Court said on October 26, 2026, that 14 states had agreed to raise the judicial retirement age from 60 to 62 for district judicial officers. The court declined to urgently hear separate pleas from officers nearing retirement or recently retired.

Key Takeaways

  • The court said 14 states had agreed to the increase and hoped others would follow.
  • Seven consenting states were previously directed to amend service rules and assess officers’ suitability.
  • The bench declined urgent listings of individual pleas, although the broader petition has been listed.

Judicial retirement age petition remains before court

A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana said the matter was between the Supreme Court and the states. Senior advocate Ranjit Kumar had sought a listing, saying judicial officers were retiring every day.

The broader petition seeks a uniform increase in the retirement age for district judiciary judges across India. Supreme Court judges retire at 65, while high court judges retire at 62.

Directions to the first seven consenting states

On September 4, the court directed Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal to amend their service rules to raise the retirement age, preferably within two months. Continued service is subject to an assessment of each officer’s suitability by the relevant high court.

Pending those amendments, officers in the seven states who reach 60 are not to retire until 62, subject to a high court assessment of their suitability and performance. Officers in those states who retired on or after March 31, 2026, were to be given an option to return if they had not obtained subsequent employment.

The court also directed other states and territories to reconsider their positions. It had previously said states could not cite financial burden to oppose an increase.

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