The chief justice of India KG Balakrishnan has sent letters to chief justices of all high courts asking them offer early retirement to judges of subordinate courts, whom they consider “indolent, infirm or unfit”. As per the notice, the judges who are having tainted past should be offered voluntary retirement.

This step comes in the wake of the cash-at-judge’s-door scam of Chandigarh and the Rs 7-crore GPF scam at Ghaziabad, incidents that put a question-mark on the integrity of senior judges of the higher judiciary.

Justice Balakrishnan has requested the Chief Justices to review the service records of judicial officers when they attain the age of 50 and 55 years with the intention of zeroing down upon and getting rid of those found to be unfit for their job.

“Premature retirement, as you know is not a stigma and no civil consequences will follow such retirement,” says the CJI.

In concurrence with this development, the Central Information Commission has asked for  feedback from the public and organizations on whether details of assets owned by SC and HC judges come under the Right to Information Act, or if they can be revealed.