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The Delhi High Court has asked the Delhi government to explain its objection to the non-retrospective application of an enhanced salary for law researchers (LRs) attached to the High Court judges. A Division Bench of Justices Prathiba M Singh and Rajneesh Kumar Gupta noted that the Delhi High Court Chief Justice had approved a salary revision to ₹80,000 per month effective October 2022, but the government plans to pay this enhanced amount only from September 2, 2025.

During the hearing, the Bench questioned why the government was not paying arrears, especially since past pay hikes for law researchers were granted retrospectively. The Principal Secretary of Delhi’s Department of Law, Justice, and Legislative Affairs cited objections from the Finance Department for the government’s position to restrict the hike prospectively.

The court asked the Additional Chief Secretary of Finance to file an affidavit explaining the government’s stance, with the next hearing scheduled for October 10. The petitioners, 13 law researchers employed since 2018, have sought enforcement of the 2023 decision approving salary enhancement, including arrears and interest from October 2022.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had earlier announced the pay hike and an increase in researcher strength to four per judge to enhance judicial support and reduce judges’ workload. The court’s intervention comes amid ongoing litigation over timely implementation of these remits and reflects recognition of law researchers’ critical role within the judiciary.The Delhi High Court has asked the Delhi government to explain why it is not paying the enhanced salaries to law researchers attached to High Court judges retrospectively. The court noted that the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court had approved a salary increase to ₹80,000 per month effective from October 2022, but the government plans to apply this hike only from September 2, 2025. The bench questioned the Finance Department’s objection to paying arrears, noting that earlier pay hikes were given retrospectively as well. The court directed the Additional Chief Secretary of Finance to file an affidavit explaining the stance and set the next hearing for October 10. The petitioners are 13 law researchers who sought enforcement of the 2023 decision to raise their pay, along with arrears and interest from October 2022. The Delhi Chief Minister had announced the pay hike and increase in law researchers to provide better support to judges. The court’s order highlights recognition of law researchers’ vital role and the need for timely implementation of salary revisions.