New Delhi, April 30
The collegium of Supreme Court judges has not considered the transfer of any of the Punjab and Haryana High Court judge in the wake of 25 them going on mass leave recently in protest against the style of functioning of the Chief Justice Mr B K Roy, sources said here today.
“There is noting of the sort. The three High Court judges who met Chief Justice of India (CJI), Mr V N Khare, on Sunday last have only been reprimanded by him for their
action,” the sources said. The sources said that the three judges — Mr Justice G S Singhvi, Mr Justice V K Bali and Mr Justice H S Bedi — who were summoned to Delhi by the CJI, were only reprimanded by him in their meeting with him and the CJI designate Mr Justice S Rajendra Babu on April 25, the sources said.
The High Court judges had promised the CJI not do anything in future that would undermine the image of the judiciary, they said.
The three judges also had given a commitment to the CJI to put an extra hour’s work every day and also work even on Saturday when the High Court was closed, in the interest of justice, when Mr Justice Khare told them that instead of taking the extreme step they should have been putting on extra work to lessen the burden of cases with the judiciary.
There had been speculations that some judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court might be transferred in the wake of their taking the unprecedented step of going on mass leave in protest against their Chief Justice on April 19 and resuming the work next day only on the intervention of the Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) in a resolution, has opposed the filling up of the existing vacancies in the Delhi High Court by transfer of judges from outside.
“If a judge has become controversial or unsuitable in his parent High Court, how does he become non-controversial and suitable, if shifted to Delhi High Court? In any event, Delhi High Court is not a dumping ground,” the resolution passed by the DHCBA in its executive meeting said.
Requesting the CJI not to take any decision without consulting the DHCBA regarding transfer of judges, the resolution further said “unless the Bar is interwoven in the decision-making process, the authorities alone shall be responsible for the avoidable confrontation.”
