Senior federal counsel Shamsul Bolhassan said Justice Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh had allowed their application for more time to resolve the matter.

“The public services department is finalising a proposal to the government,” he told FMT after an online case management today.

Lawyer Christopher Leong, who is in the legal team representing the 28 retired judges and seven widows of former judges, also confirmed the matter.

“The court gave the Attorney-General’s Chambers more time to get instructions on a possible settlement,” he said.

Leong said the court also allowed an application to add Jeffrey Tan and Ann Chan, the widow and dependent of the late NH Chan, as plaintiffs.

In their suit filed early last year, the plaintiffs said they were seeking legal redress as the government had refused to entertain a notice of demand sent on their behalf in September 2021.

The plaintiffs are seeking a declaration that their pensions should be adjusted annually, based on the salaries of current judges.

The problem arose when the government made a salary revision in 2015 for judges, providing a higher pension plus a 2% annual increment for those who retired after the amendment.

Those who retired before 2015, however, continued to receive pensions based on their old salaries plus a 2% annual rise.