The Lok Sabha today passed the High Court and the Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Amendment Bill,2015. The bill aims at removing anomalies in pensionary benefits of High Court judges elevated from the bar.<br/><br/>The bill, among other things, seeks to simplify some of the provisions relating to determination of leave allowances of judges of High Courts and the apex court.The bill also states that a period of 10 years will be added from April 2004 to the service of a Judge, for the purpose of providing pension. <br/><br/>This would be applicable to a judge who has been an advocate of a High Court for at least 10 years. Replying to a debate on the bill in the House, Law Minister D V Sadananda Gowda said the bill has been brought to bring uniformity and do away with the indiscrimination of salaries and pensions for judges elevated from the Bar. <br/><br/>On the issue of setting up benches of High Courts and Supreme Courts in different parts of the country, Mr Gowda said, so far no such proposal has been received from the States in this regard. <br/><br/>Responding to the demands of various members of bringing new legislation on National Judicial Appointments Commission, NJAC, the Law Minsiter said, as the final verdict of the Apex Court on NJAC is yet to come,there is no need at this juncture to discuss the issue. <br/><br/>In October this year, the Supreme Court had struck down the NJAC Act 2014 seeking to replace the 22-year old collegium system of judges appointing judges and giving a major role to the executive in appointment of judges to higher judiciary. Participating in the discussion, some of the members expressed their reservations over scrapping of NJAC Act by the Supreme Court and pitched for accountability of judges.