Judges are appointed either for a short term or a long term of office. Experience has shown that a short tenure is unwise and defective. It destroys the independence of the judge, inclines him towards corrupt ways, as bribery, so as to enrich himself during his short term of office. It makes him more subservient to the executive which appointed him.
Such a judge will do no justice. A long tenure frees the judge from such temptations. It makes him free and independent. In modern times, judges are, therefore, appointed for long terms or lifelong tenures. They hold office during good behaviour. “Once appointed,” writes Laski, “a judge should obviously hold office during good behaviour; otherwise he cannot acquire that habit of independence inherent in his position.”
A long tenure is, obviously, a lifelong tenure. Hence the age of retirement of a judge is usually fixed at 60 to 65 years, as in Pakistan and even longer, as in U.K. and U.S.A.