M A I N   N E W S

Chief Justice Roy may be shifted to Sikkim

New Delhi, September 13
In a bid to control growing discontent among Judges of the Guwahati High Court, the Collegium of Supreme Court Judges has recommended transfer of Chief Justice B K Roy to Sikkim which has a judge strength of three including the Chief Justice.

The Law Ministry has forwarded the recommendation to the President for approval, official sources said. A trail of controversy has followed Chief Justice Roy right from the time he headed the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The High Court witnessed an unprecedented incident with 25 of the total 27 Judges going on leave protesting against Mr Justice Roy’s manner of administration
of the High Court.

It took a lot of effort on the part of senior Judges of the Supreme Court, who rushed to Chandigarh, to settle the controversy and for the Judges to resume work.

Later, the Collegium of Supreme Court Judges headed by Chief Justice R C Lahoti, recommended Justice Roy’s transfer to the Patna High Court as Chief Justice.

But the Ministry raised an objection saying no Judge could be transferred to his parent High Court as Chief Justice, the sources said. The Collegium then decided to recommend his transfer to the Guwahati High Court. Within a short span of his heading the High Court that caters to the seven NE states with a sanctioned strength of 19 judges, 17 of them wrote to the Chief Justice of India, complaining and expressing difficulty in working under Mr Justice Roy.

The Collegium, which held several meetings after the receipt of the letter from the Judges, then decided to recommend Mr Justice Roy’s transfer to the Sikkim High Court, having a sanctioned strength of only three judges. — PTI