SC Collegium recommends transfer of three HC judges, rejects requests of transfer to neighbouring HCs “for better administration of justice”

The Supreme Court Collegium made identical resolutions for the transfer of Justices Manoj Bajaj, Dinesh Kumar Singh and Gaurang Kanth and decided to continue with the transfers as originally resolved. 

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YESTERDAY, the Supreme Court Collegium recommended the transfer of three judges from their respective parent high courts to other high courts and turned down their request to transfer them to the high courts of their preference.

The collegium comprising Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud and Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, B.R. Gavai, and Surya Kant decided to transfer Justice Manoj Bajaj from the Punjab and Haryana High Court to the Allahabad High Court for the better administration of justice.

The decision to transfer Justice Manoj Bajaj was taken by the collegium on July 5, 2023 and the judge put forward a request on July 11, 2023 to continue serving as a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. His request was declined by the collegium. 

The collegium also decided to transfer Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh of the Allahabad High Court to the Kerala High Court. The judge had requested the collegium to transfer him to nearby high courts such as Delhi, Punjab and Haryana, Madhya Pradesh or Rajasthan, but the collegium found no merit in his request. 

Lastly, the collegium has also resolved to transfer Justice Gaurang Kanth from the Delhi High Court to the Calcutta High Court. His request to be transferred to the High Court of Madhya Pradesh or Rajasthan or any other neighbouring state was rejected by the collegium. 

The collegium claimed that all the transfers were made in the interest of better administration of justice.