ISLAMABAD, Aug 3: President General Pervez Musharraf on Friday increased the salary of judges of superior courts by 25 per cent. The president’s order shall be deemed to have taken effect from July 1, 2007.

The salary of the Chief Justice of Pakistan has been increased to Rs133,250 per month and of other judges of the apex court to Rs125,875 per month.

The salary of the Chief Justice of a high court has been raised from Rs85,900 to Rs123,500 and of other high court judges from Rs82,600 to Rs118,750 per month.

Last year judges of the superior courts got a 15 per cent raise.

In 2005, the salary of the Chief Justice had been fixed at Rs92,700 per month and of judges of the Supreme Court at Rs87,600. The Chief Justice of a high court was entitled to a salary of Rs85,900 and other judges were drawing Rs82,600 per month.

Apart from the salary, a judge of the Supreme Court is entitled to free residence, utility bills, an officially maintained car, a cook, a driver and a guard at his residence.

After retirement, a judge of the superior court is entitled to pension equivalent to 70 per cent of his salary in addition to 200 litres of petrol, 1,000 local phone calls, 1,000 electricity units, 12,000 cubic feet of gas and water charges. A retiring judge is also entitled to a car on depreciated value and a driver and a cook or an orderly at government expenses till the time of his death. The widow of a retired judge will get 50 per cent of the pension and after the widow’s death, sons of the judge who are less than 21 years of age will continue to draw the same amount. Unmarried daughters of a deceased judge will get the pension till their marriage.

The salary of the Chief Justice of Pakistan has progressively increased from Rs5,500 fixed in 1973. The first increase of Rs1,000 was made in 1981. Through a constitutional amendment order issued by General Ziaul Haq in 1985 the salary was increased to Rs7,900 with retrospective effect from July 1, 1983. The salary of the Chief justice was twice increased in 1991. It was first raised to Rs9,900 and then to Rs15,000. It was increased to Rs20,250 in 1994.

In 1995, the salaries of the judges of the Supreme Court were raised but the salary of the Chief Justice was not enhanced.

The Chief Justice’s salary was increased to Rs43,000 in 1998 and to Rs55,000 in 2002 effective from December 1, 2001.

The salary of the judges of the Supreme Court was fixed in 1973 at Rs5100, Chief Justices of the High Court at Rs5,000 and judges of the High Courts at Rs4,000.

Commenting on the raise, Supreme Court Bar Association President Munir A. Malik said it was not a favour. He said the government would fail to influence the judiciary by increasing salaries of the judges. “We have a new Supreme Court now,” he said.