Fact-check: SC judges receive up to Rs1m a month in pensions

ISLAMABAD: A retired judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan receives a pension of nearly Rs1 million per month, including perks and privileges, such as electricity units and petrol, claimed Senator Mushtaq Ahmed Khan of the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI).

The claim is accurate.

On February 17, during a session of the Senate, Pakistan’s upper house, Senator Mushtaq Ahmed Khan alleged, waving a document in the air, “A retired judge gets Rs1 million per month in pension, Rs3,000 worth of free phone calls, 2,000 free electricity units, and 300 litres of petrol.”

It is true, judges of the Supreme Court are entitled to a retirement pension of nearly Rs1 million per month, including perks, confirmed two ex-officials, privy to the information, and one serving official.

“It is around Rs900,000 or Rs1 million [per month],” said a former judge of the top court, who asked not to be named. Another former official of the Supreme Court said the pension arrears are between Rs800,000 to Rs850,000.

Saqib Nisar, the former chief justice of the Supreme Court, who retired in January 2019, receives a monthly pension of Rs860,000, confirmed a serving official to Geo Fact Check, who asked not to be named.

He further added that the payable pensions to judges vary as per the years served in the courts, and are roughly 75% of their salary when in service. Apart from their pension, the judges also get the monthly salary of a driver, additional/special pension and two medical allowances, the official added.

Maqbool Baqar, who retired as a judge of the Supreme Court in April last year, receives a monthly pension of Rs777,000, the official told Geo Fact Check.

Perks and benefits: What does the law say?

On October 4, the Senate was told by the law minister that paragraph 16 of the Supreme Court Judges (Leave, Pension and Privileges) Order, 1997, states that a chief justice and a judge of the top court will be entitled to a pension which is 70% of their salary, determined by the president and “5% of the said salary for each completed year of service, either as chief justice or as a judge not exceeding the amount of pension to 85% of the said salary.”

While paragraph 25 of the law lays out the perks and benefits, which include providing a retired judge the services of a driver and an orderly, 3,000 free telephone calls per month, 2,000 units of electricity, 25 hm3 of gas, free supply of water, 300 litres of petrol and one security guard by police for an eight-hour shift each.

The law further states that no income tax will be charged on the payable amount and the judges of the Supreme Court are entitled to purchase official vehicles in their use on retirement at a depreciated value.