India, Aug. 6 -- The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked states and Union territories opposing an increase in the retirement age of judicial officers beyond 60 years to reconsider their stand within two weeks, observing that financial burden cannot be a valid reason to deny the benefit.

Hearing a petition filed by the All India Judges Association (AIJA), a bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant said the reasons cited by several states for opposing the proposal were "misdirected" and urged them to take a pragmatic view.

The bench, also comprising justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, noted that most states opposing the move had cited either the additional financial burden or the potential disparity in the retirement ages o...