Being a Judge is one of the most respected professions globally. A judge is a qualified professional who is in charge of conducting trials and hearings of various legal cases and is thereby expected to make an unbiased decision based on the evidence in order to serve justice to the people. As per the amendment bill passed in 2017, the salary of Supreme Court and High Court judges has increased from INR 90,000 to INR 2.50 L per month. The highest-paying judge in the country is the Chief Justice of India earning a salary of INR 30 LPA. There are several deciding factors on which the salary of a judge is based such as relevant years of experience, qualifications, the court in which they are appointed and so on. Also Check: LLB Jobs
In order to become a Judge, aspiring candidates can pursue various Undergraduate and Postgraduate Law Courses such as LLB, BA LLB, BBA LLB, and BCom LLB from the Top Law Colleges in India. Admissions to these colleges are done on the basis of Law Entrance Exams such as CLAT, LSAT, AILET and others. The average course fees for an Undergraduate Law Course usually range between INR 50,000 - 2 LPA.
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Average Salary of a Judge in India
Judges are also accountable for implementing, analyzing and applying the various provisions of the law. The average starting salary of a judge in India is INR 5.43 LPA. Usually, the salary of a judge is dependent on a number of factors out of which the most crucial factor is, with which court they are associated, be it a metropolitan magistrate or judges at the supreme court or high courts and district courts. The monthly salary of a Judge of a Supreme Court is INR 12.10 LPA, while the salary of a Judge of a High Court and District Court is INR 8.70 LPA – 6 LPA respectively. Apart from this, the second most important factor that determines the salary of a Judge is the relevant years of experience gained.
The monthly salary of a judge ranges between INR 67,311 - 91,280. Judges are also entitled to a number of benefits which include PF, gratuity, medical reimbursements, house rent allowance and many more. The salary of a High Court and Supreme Court judge is way higher than the other judges. A person becomes a high court judge after 10 -15 years of service as a District judge.
Salary of a Judge: Hierarchy Wise
The salary of judges is majorly dependent on the court in which they are practising. The judges of the Supreme Court earn the highest salary followed by the High court judges.
The salary of judges according to the court in which they are practising are tabulated below for your reference,
Hierarchy | Average Annual Salary (INR) |
---|---|
Supreme Court | Check Salary |
High Court | Check Salary |
District Court | Check Salary |
Salary of a Judge: Designation Wise
Judges are appointed across different designations across different courts. Tabulated below is the average salary of a judge across various designations for your reference,
Designations | Average Annual Salary (INR) |
---|---|
Chief Justice of India | 21.47 L - 23 L |
Chief Justice of HighCourt | 18.20 L - 20 L |
District Judge | 15 L - 18 L |
Additional District Judge | 12 L - 14.5 L |
Civil Judge | 6.70 L - 8.10 L |
Metropolitan Magistrate | 4.20 L - 6 L |
Salary of a Judge: Court Wise
Apart from District Court, High Court and Supreme Court, there are several subordinate courts and tribunals which look after some particular matters for which that tribunal was created. The salary of judges can vary depending upon the tribunals in which they are appointed. However, they can get transferred from one tribunal to another.
Tabulated below is the average salary of a judge according to various tribunals.
Specializations | Average Annual Salary (INR) |
---|---|
Civil Court | 5.80 L - 6.30 L |
Armed Force Tribunal | 4 L - 6 L |
National Company law Tribunal | 4.50 L - 6 L |
Human Rights Commission | 5.10 L- 6. 40 L |
Administrative Tribunal | 4 L - 6 L |
Labor Court | 4.30 L- 5.70 L |
Income Tax Tribunal | 5 L- 7 L |
Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal | 4 L- 6.50 L |
National Green Tribunal | 3.50 L - 5 L |
Salary of a Judge: Experience Wise
The legal profession is mostly based on experience. Since it is a government job, the salary of a judge is decided by the state government and the salary of High Court and Supreme Court judges is set by the Government of India. The salary of a Judge is also dependent on the years of experience.
The table below discusses the average annual salary drawn by a judge on the basis of their relevant years of experience.
Years of Experience | Average Annual Salary (INR) |
---|---|
0-5 years | 3.20 L- 4.60 L |
5-10 years | 6 L - 8 L |
10-15 years | 9.50 L - 11.30 L |
15-20 years | 11.48 L - 15 L |
20 years & above | 16 L- 20 L |
Salary of a Judge: Country Wise
The profession of a judge is considered to be a respectable position across the globe. According to glassdoor, Europe is one of the highest-paying countries for Judges. It also varies from the position at which he is appointed i.e whether he is a junior-level judge or at the highest level.
Some of the top-paying countries for the judges are listed below for your reference.
Name of the countries | Starting Salary (INR) | Highest Salary (INR) |
---|---|---|
USA | 59.42 LPA | 1.04 Crore P/A |
UK | 61.87 LPA | 1.33 Crore P/A |
Australia | 51.35 LPA | 1.31 Crore P/A |
Singapore | 47.77 LPA | 1.17 Crore P/A |
Switzerland | 59.83 LPA | 1.42 Crore P/A |
Hong Kong | 9.26 LPA | 33.69 LPA |
South Africa | 41.20 LPA | 88.78 LPA |
Japan | 4.36 LPA | 21. 17 LPA |
France | 32.19 LPA | 86.74 LPA |
Salary of a Judge: City Wise
Though the salary of a Judge is fixed for almost the majority of the courts in India, however, there might be a slight parity in terms of the total compensation of a Judge across various cities. The average salary of a judge across various states is tabulated below for your reference,
Name of the State | Average Annual Salary (INR) |
---|---|
Delhi | 7.55 L |
Maharashtra | 6.75 L |
West Bengal | 6.80 L |
Karnataka | 6.20 L |
Bihar | 5.61 L |
Telangana | 6.77 L |
Haryana | 6.21 L |
Uttar Pradesh | 7.10 L |
Skills required to be a Judge
In order to be a Judge in India, apart from being educationally qualified one must possess certain skill sets which would be helpful for them to carry out their responsibility as a Judge in a better way and also help them stand out .
Tabulated below are some of the skills that the candidate must inculcate in order to excel in the profession,
Communication Skills | Unbiased Decision Making | Critical Reasoning Skills |
Empathy | Writing Skills | Objective Analysis |
Legal Knowledge | Strong Interpersonal Skills | Self Awareness |
Top Recruitment for Judges
Due to the pending Caseload in India, there is a huge demand for judges from a subordinate court to the Supreme Court of India, The judges of High Court and Supreme Court are not appointed through any examination but they are promoted from District Court based on their performance and years of experience. The entry level judges are appointed by recruiting agencies.
Some of the top recruiters for judges across the country are mentioned below for your reference,
Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commision | Maharashtra Public Service Commission | Rajasthan Public Service Commission |
Uttarakhand Public Service Commission | Delhi High Court | Ministry of Law & Justice |
Madhya Pradesh High Court | Jharkhand Public Service Commision | Assam Public Service Commission |
Salary of a Judge: FAQs
Ques: Which Judge gets the highest salary package?
Ans: . The highest paying judge in the country is Honourable The Chief Justice of India. The salary of The Chief Justice of India is around INR 2.50 L - 3 L per month. Apart from the income Judges are entitled to several other benefits such as house rent allowance, dearness allowance, travel allowance, medical allowance and many more
Ques: What papers a student has to clear to be a Judge?
Ans: The Candidate should first get into a Law School, have to clear CLAT, AILET, BHU exam or have to clear law entrance exam. After passing LL.B, the candidate is eligible to be a Judge. The candidate must clear the state public service commission exam in order to be a Judge such as DJS, UPPSC J, MPHS, etc.
Ques: Do I have to get registered in Bar Council to become a Judge?
Ans: No,It is not compulsory for the student to get registered after completing LLB in Bar Council. Without registration the candidate can also become a Judge. But some of the states such as Jharkhand, Assam, Chhattisgarh etc, require that the candidate should be registered with the Bar Council.
Ques: Do I have to register in a particular state Bar Council to be a Judge in that particular state?
Ans: No, there is no such requirement that the candidate must get registered in a particular state Bar Council. The candidate must be registered in a Bar Council. It does not matter in which state he is registered.
Ques: What are the skills required to be a good Judge?
Ans: The following are the skills that a Judge should possess to be a successful Judge:
- Empathy
- Decision Making
- Knowledge of Law
- Logical Reasoning skills
Ques: Are Judges offered a good salary package?
Ans: Yes, Judges are offered a very good salary package. Since this is a government job, judges are entitled to several other benefits like House, car, Medical Claim, etc. Apart from this, the Judges earn around INR 8.50 LPA.
Ques: Is being a Judge a good option?
Ans: Yes, It is one of the most high paying jobs in India. The major advantage of being a Judge is that it is the most respectable position across the globe.
Ques: What are other jobs after completing LLB?
Ans: There are various other options that a LL.B candidate can explore as a career option:
- Company secretary
- Legal Researcher
- Judge
- Additional Prosecution Officer
- Legal Advisor
Ques: Is being a court judge a stressful job?
Ans: Yes, the job of a judge is very stressful due to a lot of burden pending and current cases in India but it is one of the most rewarding careers across the world.
Ques: How much does a fresher Judge get paid?
Ans: A Civil Judge gets an average salary around INR 5.76 LPA. While the Judge with 10-15 years of experience or a District Judge gets a salary around INR 14.48 LPA.