NEW DELHI: Ignoring protests from lawyers against the transfer of Justice Gaurang Kanth, a judge of Delhi high court, the government notified his transfer on Saturday to Calcutta high court along with two other judges, one from Allahabad HC and the other from Punjab and Haryana HC.
Justice Kanth had written to the Supreme Court collegium asking to be shifted to an HC in a neighbouring state, preferably Madhya Pradesh or Rajasthan. The other two judges transferred on Saturday — Justice D K Singh of Allahabad HC and Justice Manoj Bajaj of Punjab and Haryana HC — too had written to the collegium seeking transfer.
Justice Singh had sought a posting either in Delhi HC or Punjab and Haryana HC, or any neighbouring state.
However, the SC collegium rejected their pleas and transferred them to previously decided HCs, that is Justice Singh to Kerala HC and Justice Bajaj to Allahabad HC.
The collegium had reiterated its recommendations to the government on July 12 by stating that it had consulted one of the judges of the SC “who, being conversant with the affairs of the high court, is in a position to offer views on the proposed transfer”. This consultation was made with an SC judge in respect of all three transfers and finally, a view was taken to shift these judges, the collegium said.
“The chief justices of the HC of judicature at Allahabad and the Kerala HC whose opinion was sought in terms of the Memorandum of Procedure have also conveyed their consent/no objection to the proposed transfer of Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh,” the collegium had said while reiterating his case.