"They Work Weekends Too": HC seeks Delhi govt reply on law researchers' plea over delayed Rs 80K salary

The Delhi High Court has today asked the Delhi government to reply on a plea filed by thirteen legal researchers of High Court judges seeking the enforcement of a 2023-approved salary hike of Rs 80,000 per month.

A bench comprising Justice Prathiba M. Singh and Justice Rajneesh Kumar Gupta, while hearing the matter today, remarked that law researchers significantly contribute to the judicial system. 

Acknowledging the amount of work put in by the legal researchers of judges, the bench said that they work late nights and sometimes even on weekends.

“The Delhi government must decide the matter,” the judges said.

The HC also noted that while the salary revision had been approved by the then Chief Justice and cleared by the High Court administration, it had not yet been implemented by the Delhi government.

Before the High Court, the petitioner-researchers working with the offices of the Delhi High Court judges have sought the implementation of the Rs 80,000 monthly salary approved in 2023 and also sought arrears from October 1, 2022, along with 18% annual interest.

The petitioners have relied on Article 229 of the Constitution, under which the High Court had framed its Establishment Rules in 1972, by which it had created over 120 sanctioned posts for law researchers. The researchers cited the pay evolution over the years, stating that the salary was Rs 25,000 initially; however, in the year 2017, it was revised to Rs 35,000, followed by Rs 50,000 in 2018, Rs 65,000 in 2019, and finally Rs 80,000 in 2022.

Despite the latest revision being approved, it is the petitioners’ case that the file has remained stuck due to delays in the Law & Finance Departments of the Delhi Government.

During an earlier hearing, Justice C. Hari Shankar had remarked that law researchers often work longer hours than judges themselves and noted that their pay still lags behind researchers at the Supreme Court.

The petitioners have contended that the significant delay in implementing the increased salary despite constitutional and administrative approvals violates their rights.

Therefore, they have sought judicial intervention for enforcement, while highlighting the impact of financial uncertainty on researchers.

The matter will be heard next on August 21, 2025.

Case Title: Rushant Malhotra & Ors. Vs The Government of NCT of Delhi 

With ANI inputs