AGC granted extension on pension suit settlement
KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court has granted the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) a two-week extension to update the court on the settlement of a pension lawsuit filed by 35 individuals.

The plaintiffs are made up of former members of the judiciary and seven widows of former judges.

The suit was filed over the alleged failure of the govern- ment to fix an appropriate increase in the pension and benefits received by the 35 plaintiffs since 2015.

The plaintiffs’ lawyer, Christopher Leong, stated that the AGC had requested a two-week extension to provide an update on the matter, which Justice Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh granted during case management yesterday.

“The court then fixed March 19 for case management for parties to update on the settlement,” he said, Bernama reported.

On Jan 31, the same court had given the parties one month to settle the lawsuit.

Previously, the same court, on Oct 6, 2022, had given the government two months to look into the possibility of the proposed suit settlement.

In the suit filed on Jan 24, 2022, the plaintiffs named the government, the prime minister, Cabinet and the director-general of Public Service as the first to fourth defendants.

The plaintiffs are seeking a declaration that failure to fix, through a government gazette, an appropriate increment of more than 2% in their pension and other benefits according to Section 15B(2) of the Judges’ Remuneration Act 1971 (Act 45) had violated Articles 125 (7) and 125(9) of the Federal Constitution.

The plaintiffs are also seeking an order that the second or third defendant (Prime Minister or Cabinet) shall advise the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to fix a higher increment of more than 2% annually on the pension and other benefits given to them, effective July 1, 2015, according to Section 15B(2) of Act 45.

The plaintiffs also said that under Section 15B of the Judges’ Remuneration Act 1971, the pensions of retired judges and dependents of deceased judges were adjusted automatically based on the current salaries of the serving judges, which were reviewed in stages from time to time, as required under Articles 125(7) and 125(9) of the Federal Constitution.
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KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court has granted the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) a two-week extension to update the court on the settlement of a pension lawsuit filed by 35 individuals.