It's difficult to make everyone happy - and Justice Ashok Kumar Mathur knows that well. The head of a commission that has just upped salaries of government employees was aware of the reactions it would evoke even before it became public. "It is a thankless job and that, I think, has always been the case. Government officials always expect a bonanza. But we have to think about the nation too," he says rather nonchalantly.

But the 72-year-old former Justice of the Supreme Court of India and chairman of the Seventh Central Pay Commission says that he is happy with the way the 900-page report, released last week, has turned out.

It was no mean feat. For 18 months, the four-member commission appointed by the government travelled across the country, sometimes dining with jawans in sub-zero temperatures at Daulat Beg Oldi in Ladakh, occasionally plunging the depths of the sea in the submarines of the Indian Navy to understand working conditions in such areas. It held hundreds of meetings with representatives of all kinds of associations. The commission also travelled to Australia and New Zealand to understand the systems there.

People, however, tend to underestimate the exercise, rues Mathur, his arms crossed across his chest, which is the way he sits almost through the interview. We are seated in the high-ceilinged living room of the government bungalow in central Delhi that has been his residence ever since he was appointed chairman of the commission in February 2014.

He is in the process of packing his belongings and going back to hometown Jodhpur, now that his job has come to an end. "I don't want to stay here for a day longer than my stipulated time," he says.

Mathur is in a white kurta-pyjama and a dark gray sleeveless jacket to keep warm in the huge house in the midst of a lush green garden. Once in a while, his mobile phone rings and dances on the glass-top coffee table placed next to him. "I have given more than 40 interviews in the last one week, and requests from journalists never seem to end," he complains - thankfully with a smile - as he checks his phone.

The pay commission hit the national headlines last week when it came to light that it had hiked the emoluments of central government employees by an average of 23.55 per cent, including pay, allowances and pension. It is estimated to benefit around 47 lakh serving employees and 52 lakh pensioners. This also means that the government would have to spend an additional Rs 1.02 lakh crore on salaries and pensions starting next year.

But not everybody is happy. Labour unions have been criticial of the raises. "You cannot give public money just like that," he counters.

He points to the terms of reference for the commission that binds it. It was asked to make recommendations keeping in view the economic conditions in the country, the need for fiscal prudence and the likely impact of the recommendations on the finances of state governments, which usually adopt the proposals with some modifications.

Mathur knows the expectations that people have because he himself comes from a family of officers. His grandfather was a deputy inspector-general in Marwar, Rajasthan, in pre-independent India, and his father was an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer. Most of his relatives are also in the civil services. "I understand the woes of government officials better than many," he says.

While deciding the pay structure which involves complex calculations, the impact of the pay increase on inflation and also the possible widening of the gap between the public and private pay structures had to be kept in mind. "We have to be fair towards everybody. I have achieved that to a great extent," he says.

In this quest for "fairness" he didn't mind going against the powerful Indian Administrative Service (IAS) lobby which was in favour of continuing with the "special status" that IAS officers enjoy during the initial years of service. The Indian Civil and Administrative Service (Central) Association comprising serving and retired IAS officers argued before the commission that an IAS officer's position was unique and that the service needed to be differentiated from the rest of the bureaucracy. It argued that narrowing the gap between the IAS and allied Central Group "A" Services would be "detrimental" to India's economic growth and development.

But Mathur notes that the administrative functions of all officials belonging to the IPS and other services are as important as those of the IAS. "My argument is that additional remuneration during the early stages of one's career is justified for everybody, not just the IAS," he says. Vivek Rae, a former IAS officer and member of the commission, wrote a dissent note on this.

The entry level basic salary of a government servant previously stood at Rs 7,000. The latest pay commission has hiked it to Rs 18,000. A person joining the government will get around Rs 24,000 a month. "That's a fabulous rise. I don't know why some people are disappointed," he says. The maximum pay has been pegged at Rs 2.25 lakh.

According to Mathur, the seventh pay commission will set a new benchmark. "We have done a mathematical, scientific and rational exercise. In fact, it could act as a guide on pay structures for the government in the coming years," he says.

He emphasises that in the future, there will be no need for commissions once in 10 years - as is the norm now. He credits this to what is called the Dr Aykroyd Formula. "We have looked at this formula very closely and it is perfect. It can be employed almost every year by the government. You need not wait for 10 years for pay commissions to increase salaries. Once you have the data on inflation and other things, you can incorporate this formula and increase salaries every year," he says.

The commission was highly impressed with what is done in Australia and New Zealand where they have remuneration tribunals. These tribunals, which are statutory bodies, determine the remuneration, including allowances and entitlements for parliamentarians, judiciary and government officials at all levels.

But some argue that the system back home is not foolproof because it does not recognise merit - the mainstay of the private sector. Will talented officials at all levels in government institutions such as the Indian Space Research Organisation and the Indian Institutes of Technology be on a par with other bureaucrats forever?

"You cannot blame pay commissions for that," he replies. "A committee was set up many years ago on merit-based promotions in institutions like these. But sadly many of them have not implemented those recommendations."

As for private sector emoluments being far more than what a government official would earn at the top level, Mathur points to a study that was conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management in Calcutta and Ahmedabad for the commission. "The study showed that government officials get a far better salary at lower and mid-levels but it was not the same at the higher level. But then the private sector does not give you job security," he says.

As for his next task, Mathur says that he will be back if there is a "national duty" for him. He didn't expect that he would be offered the chairmanship of the pay commission. He had just retired from the Supreme Court in September 2008 when he was appointed founder chairperson of the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT). His task was to establish nine tribunals across the country which he did in around five years. These tribunals look into disputes regarding service matters.

"These tribunals disposed of some 30,000 cases when I was still the chairman of the AFT. That is no mean achievement. I think my success there may have influenced the government to make me the chairperson of the commission," he says.

He seems a bit disappointed at the reaction of the people from the armed forces to the commission's recommendations. "We have granted the best of benefits. A young officer cannot expect less than Rs 56,000, besides allowances. That is a fair amount of money," he says. And he adds that it is virtually now one-rank-one-pension - a long-standing demand of the defence services - across the board for everybody.

"You may not be happy with what you have got, but I am sorry, you cannot get what you wish," he says.

A former Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court, Mathur says that he enjoyed his stint in Calcutta from 1999 to 2004. "Jyoti Basu was the chief minister when I became the Chief Justice in 1999 and I was there when Buddhadeb Bhattacharya took over. I had cordial relations with both of them," he says.

Mathur would now like to spend time with his two sons, daughter and grandchildren. One son is a lawyer, the other works as a general manager in a public sector firm and his daughter lives in the US. "Now I would like to relax a bit," he says. "I am content."