5-judge Structure Bench to resolve if problem of restricted promotional avenues for entry-level judicial officers warrants reference to bigger Bench

A five-judge Structure Bench of the Supreme Courtroom on Tuesday (October 14, 2025) stated it could think about whether or not points regarding the restricted promotional avenues accessible to entry-level judicial officers ought to be referred to a bigger Bench.

A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India BR Gavai and Justices Surya Kant, Vikram Nath, Okay. Vinod Chandran, and Joymalya Bagchi was listening to a plea filed by the All India Judges Affiliation. The long-pending matter raises issues over stagnation in profession development and disparities in pay and promotional alternatives amongst officers within the subordinate judiciary.

On October 7, the apex court docket had referred questions regarding profession stagnation within the decrease judiciary to a five-judge Structure Bench for authoritative willpower.

In the course of the temporary listening to, senior advocate R. Basant identified that two different Structure Benches had already taken views on comparable points. “Two Structure Benches have taken a view. So we now have to see if a five-judge Bench can go into this. Your Lordship could think about constituting a bigger Bench as a result of the whole train can’t be rendered futile,” he submitted.

Senior advocate Siddharth Bhatnagar, showing as amicus curiaeknowledgeable the Bench that a number of intervention functions had been filed—each supporting and opposing the proposal to grant judicial officers enhanced promotional alternatives. He had earlier steered reserving a sure share of posts within the cadre of Principal District Judges for officers promoted from the Judicial Justice of the Peace First Class (JMFC) and Civil Decide cadres.

Paying attention to the vary of submissions, the Bench stated it could take a complete view of the problem of profession stagnation within the decrease judiciary. It appointed advocates Mayuri Raghuvanshi and Manu Krishnan as nodal counsels for the respective sides to coordinate written submissions and put together compilations. The court docket directed that written submissions be filed by October 27 and scheduled oral arguments for October 28 and 29.

Earlier, Chief Justice Gavai had noticed {that a} “complete answer” was wanted to handle the restricted promotional avenues accessible to these getting into the judiciary on the lowest degree. The court docket had additionally famous “divergent views” expressed by a number of Excessive Courts and State governments of their responses to notices issued on the petitions.

The court docket had flagged the “anomalous scenario” prevailing in lots of States, the place judicial officers who start their careers as JMFCs usually retire with out ever reaching the put up of Principal District Decide. (PDJ), not to mention elevation to the Excessive Courtroom Bench.