On Saturday, the Union Government notified the transfer of Justice Atul Sreedharan from the Madhya Pradesh High Court to the Allahabad High Court, where he will be at serial number 7, as opposed to being the senior-most judge at the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
Earlier this year, Justice Sreedharan had ordered a First Information Report (FIR) against BJP Minister Vijay Shah for using “scurrilous language” against Col. Sofia Quraishi. Col. Quraishi was one of the two women officers who briefed the media regarding Operation Sindoor.
On 25 August 2025, the Supreme Court Collegium, comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai and Justices Surya Kant, Vikram Nath, J.K. Maheshwari, and B.V. Nagarathna, recommended the transfer of 14 judges, including Justice Sreedharan, from the Madhya Pradesh High Court to the Chhattisgarh High Court. However, on 14 October, the Supreme Court Collegium withdrew its recommendation to transfer Justice Sreedharan to Chhattisgarh at the request of the Union Government. It decided to transfer him to the Allahabad High Court instead. In a statement published on the Supreme Court’s website, it stated that the decision to modify the recommendation was made following a reconsideration sought by the Government.
The reasons for the government-sought reconsideration of the Collegium’s recommendation are not publicly available.
The transfer of judges, including a Chief Justice, from one High Court to another is made as per Article 222(1) of the Constitution of India. The transfer is made for the “better administration of justice”. The consent of a judge for his first or subsequent transfer is not required.
