The federal government has approved a significant increase in the house rent and superior judicial allowances for Supreme Court judges, a notification from the Ministry of Law and Justice revealed on Thursday.
The notification, signed by Acting President Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani on November 4, confirms the house rent allowance for Supreme Court judges has been raised from Rs68,000 to Rs350,000. In addition, the superior judicial allowance has jumped from Rs428,040 to Rs1,061,163.
This development follows a recent increase in allowances for high court judges, prompted by a law ministry request to adjust the outdated Rs65,000 housing allowance, given the substantial rise in rental prices in Islamabad over the years.
The order amends paragraphs 20 and 22 of the Supreme Court Judges (Leave, Pension, and Privilege) Order, 1997, and is officially titled the Supreme Court Judges (Leave, Pension, and Privileges) (Amendment) Order, 2024.
Last year, former Senate chairman Sadiq Sanjrani also approved a raise for the Chief Justice of Pakistan and other Supreme Court judges, setting their monthly salaries at Rs1.2 million and Rs1.1 million, respectively.