In an important decision, the Delhi High Court has decided to provide domestic help to its former chief justices and judges with the court bearing the expense.
The Delhi HC framed the ‘Domestic Help to former Chief Justices and former Judges of the Delhi High Court Rules, 2017′ after a resolution in this regard was adopted by all its judges in April this year.
The Delhi government on May 30 notified the Rules which were framed pursuant to the resolution adopted in this regard in April last year at the Chief Justices’ Conference held here on April 22-23, 2016.
The benefit under the rules would also be available to the surviving spouse of a former chief justice or judge of the high court during the lifetime of the spouse, as per the notification.
The rules lay down the eligibility conditions of a judge to avail the benefit, mode of selection of the domestic help as well as reimbursement of the monthly wages of the help. Under the eligibility conditions, the benefit would be available to the former chief justices (CJs) and judges of the high court, if they are not getting the facility under any other rules of any other high court.
The benefit under the new rules would not be available if a domestic help is attached to the post-retirement office or post to which the former chief justice or judge has been appointed, the notification has said.
Under the rules, the former CJ or judge can either at his or her own discretion select a domestic help or request the high court to appoint one of its employees.
Such domestic help would be appointed on the contractual basis and their wages shall be equivalent to the salary payable to a class-IV employee of the high court in the grade of a peon or equivalent with yearly increment as applicable.
The rules also say that while the former CJ or judge can engage more than one domestic help, the high court will pay the wages of only one.
(With PTI inputs)
