Guwahati, Sept. 5 -- The Supreme Court has given 23 States and Union Territories two weeks to decide whether judicial officers should be allowed to remain in service until 62, citing the need to retain experienced judges amid more than 5.18 crore cases pending in district courts.

A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said retaining experienced judicial officers could help address vacancies and improve the functioning of the justice system.

In its September 1 order, published on September 4, the Bench said seven States, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, had already agreed to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62.

The court directed these seven States to a...