Patna: Bihar’s judicial officers could soon be allowed to remain in service until the age of 62 instead of 60, after the Patna High Court formally initiated steps to increase their retirement age.
The proposal, however, remains at the procedural stage and will require the state government to complete the necessary administrative and statutory formalities before it can be implemented.
Full Court approves proposal
The decision was taken at a Full Court meeting of the Patna High Court on August 18, 2026, presided over by Acting Chief Justice Sudhir Singh.
The Full Court resolved to initiate the necessary process for raising the retirement age of judicial officers serving in Bihar from 60 to 62 years.
In accordance with the decision, the High Court’s Registrar General wrote to the Additional Chief Secretary of the General Administration Department on August 31, informing the state government about the Full Court decision and requesting further necessary action.
State government must now complete formalities
The proposed change has been initiated in the context of directions concerning the service conditions and retirement age of district judiciary officers in the ongoing Supreme Court case All India Judges Association & Ors. vs. Union of India & Ors.
The High Court’s decision does not by itself make the proposed change effective. The state government will have to complete the required administrative and statutory procedures before the retirement age can formally be increased.
The matter is therefore currently at the proposal and procedural stage.
1,653 judicial officers could be affected
According to data available on the Patna High Court’s website, 1,653 judicial officers are currently serving in Bihar.
If implemented, the two-year extension would allow experienced judicial officers to remain in service longer, potentially retaining their expertise, institutional knowledge and experience within the district judiciary.
For now, the next step rests with the Bihar government, which will have to process the High Court’s proposal and complete the necessary legal and administrative requirements before the retirement age can be raised from 60 to 62.
