# SC asks states to reconsider trial judges’ retirement age hike 2026-08-06T14:02:21+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets The Supreme Court has asked states and Union territories to reconsider raising the retirement age of trial court judicial officers from 60, with The Times of India reporting a September 2 deadline and Hindustan Times reporting two weeks. A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant said financial burden was not a valid reason to oppose the proposal and urged states to take a pragmatic view. The court said judicial officers are a distinct constitutional class, not regular government employees. It also said retaining experienced judges could reduce recruitment and vacancy costs. High courts remain divided, with some supporting retirement at 61 or 62 and others opposing an increase. Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Nagaland and Rajasthan oppose the proposal, according to Hindustan Times. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com - hindustantimes.com Tags: judiciary, retirement age, states, Supreme Court, trial courts Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/supreme-court-asks-states-to-consider-raising-trial-judges-retirement-age/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/supreme-court-asks-states-to-consider-raising-trial-judges-retirement-age/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.