Judicial officers who receive financial benefits under the Assured Career Progression (ACP) scheme are still entitled to an additional salary increment upon earning an LL.M. degree, the Supreme Court has reaffirmed.
The ruling came in response to a petition from a Manipur judicial officer seeking clarity on whether the higher qualification allowance applies at every ACP stage. The court, referencing its prior decision in the All India Judges Association case, dismissed arguments against granting the extra increment.
A bench of Justices BR Gavai, AG Masih, and K Vinod Chandran emphasized that ACP benefits are designed to prevent stagnation, while higher qualification increments aim to enhance judicial performance. The court rejected a restrictive condition set by the Second National Judicial Pay Commission (SNJPC) that sought to withhold qualification-based increments at ACP stages.
Citing a 2022 judgment in State of Maharashtra v Tejwant Singh Sandhu, the bench dismissed claims that allowing these additional increments would lead to “unjust enrichment.” It reiterated that judicial officers who earn an LL.M.—even through distance learning—should receive a 3% cumulative pay increase at each ACP level.
For instance, if a judicial officer’s salary increases from ₹10,000 to ₹15,000 due to ACP, their LL.M.-related increment would rise proportionally from ₹900 to ₹1,350. The court concluded that denying these increments lacked merit and dismissed the State of Manipur’s objections.