Chinese judges quitting over low pay and high pressure: Report

BEIJING: Hundreds of judges in China are quitting their jobs distressed by low pay and 'bureaucratic intervention' in the Communist Party administered justice system, according to a media report today.

In recent years the nation's lower level judicial offices and courts have been experiencing particularly high turnovers due to resignations, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.

More than 500 judges had either resigned or asked to be transferred from Beijing's city court system in the past five years, citing low pay and high pressure, it quoted China Economic Weekly's report.

The Communist Party of China, (CPC) run People's Daily, called for more measures to retain judges noting that their remuneration had increased as part of ongoing judicial reform.

It also called for judges to be given more independence, free of bureaucratic intervention.

Critics of those who leave the party-controlled justice system suggest many have done so because reforms of the system mean there are fewer opportunities for graft, the report said.

Last year Chinese President Xi Jinping who has ordered the biggest crackdown on corruption in the country promised to implement the new judicial reforms to provide justice to common people saying that "there is no turning back" for reforms.

Xi underscored the need to continue efforts to advance reform and rule of law in 2015 promising reducing party officials' interference in judicial process.