IN A MAJOR RESHUFFLE, THE SUPREME COURT COLLEGIUM has proposed as many as 22 transfers of high court judges across the various high courts. Of them, at least six judges are being repatriated to their parent high courts. They are Justices V. Kameswar Rao (repatriated to Delhi HC), Sanjeev Prakash Sharma (repatriated to Rajasthan HC), Battu Devanand (repatriated to Andhra Pradesh HC), Sudhir Singh (repatriated to Patna HC), C. Sumalatha (repatriated to Telangana HC), and Annireddy Abhishek Reddy (repatriated to Telangana HC). Interestingly, all six judges were moved out of their parent high courts by the Collegium headed by then CJI D.Y. Chandrachud.The Delhi High Court will be receiving as many as five judges from other High Courts. Additionally, Justice V. Kameswar Rao is being repatriated to his parent High Court, namely the Delhi High Court..The Delhi High Court will be receiving as many as five judges from other High Courts..Delhi High CourtJustice V. Kameswar Rao, who is presently the senior-most judge in the Karnataka High Court, is to be repatriated to the Delhi High Court. Justice Rao hails from the Delhi High Court. He was transferred to the Karnataka High Court on June 1, 2024. He was appointed as an additional judge of the Delhi High Court on April 17, 2013. He is slated to retire on August 6, 2027. Justice Rao, if transferred back to the Delhi High Court, will be the senior-most at the Delhi High Court, provided that Justice Vibhu Bakhru is appointed as the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court as recommended by the collegium by way of a separate recommendation.The Collegium has also recommended that the Bombay High Court's Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre, Allahabad High Court's Justices Vivek Chaudhary and Om Prakash Shukla, and Punjab and Haryana High Court's Justice Anil Kshetarpal and Rajasthan High Court's Justice Arun Kumar Monga be transferred to the Delhi High Court.These transfers will lead to a change in the incumbency position in the Delhi High Court as the seniority of Justice Pratibha Singh, who is currently at serial no.3 in seniority and thus a member of the High Court Collegium, will drop from third to fifth. Justices Sambre and Chaudhary are senior to Justice Singh. Justice Sambre was appointed as judge of the Bombay High Court on January 6, 2014. Justice Chaudhary was appointed as a judge of the Allahabad High Court on February 20, 2017. On the other hand, Justice Pratibha Singh was appointed as a judge on May 15, 2017.Both Justices Sambre and Chaudhary are at serial no. 7 and 13 in their respective parent high courts..Collegium recommends new chief justices across Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Gauhati, Patna and Jharkhand HCs.Calcutta High CourtThe Collegium has also recommended to transfer Justice Sujoy Paul from the Telangana High Court to the Calcutta High Court. It has also asked the government to transfer Justice Lanusungkum Jamir from the Gauhati High Court to the Calcutta High Court. Justice Paul originally hails from the Madhya Pradesh High Court. He was appointed as an additional judge of that high court on May 27, 2011. He was transferred to the Telangana High Court on March 26, 2024. He has been presently functioning as Acting Chief Justice there since January 21, 2025. At the Calcutta High Court, Justice Paul will be at serial no. 3 in seniority.Justice Jamir was appointed as an additional judge of the Gauhati High Court on May 22, 2013. He will be at serial no.4 in seniority at the Calcutta High Court. At present, he is at serial no.2 in the Gauhati High Court..The collegium has recommended the transfer of two judges to the Bombay High Court..Orissa High CourtJustice Manash Ranjan Pathak, who is also a judge in the Gauhati High Court, is to be transferred to the Orissa High Court. He was appointed as an additional judge of the Gauhati High Court on May 22, 2013. He is at serial no. 3 in the Gauhati High Court. He will be at serial no. 2 at the Orissa High Court.Punjab and Haryana High CourtThe collegium has desired to transfer Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra from the Allahabad High Court to the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Justice Mishra was appointed as an additional judge of the Allahabad High Court on February 3, 2014. He is at serial no. 8 in the Allahabad High Court. At the P&H High Court, Justice Mishra will be at serial no. 2.Bombay High CourtThe collegium has recommended the transfer of two judges to the Bombay High Court. It wants the transfer of Justice Suman Shyam from the Gauhati High Court to the Bombay High Court. It also wants the transfer of Justice Shree Chandrashekhar to Bombay.Justice Shyam was appointed as an additional judge of the Gauhati High Court on January 7, 2015. At present, he is at serial no. 5 at the Gauhati High Court. He will be at serial no. 10 at the Bombay High Court.Justice Chandrashekhar originally hails from the Jharkhand High Court. He is presently at the Rajasthan High Court on transfer from July 5, 2024. He was appointed as an additional judge of the Jharkhand High Court on January 17, 2013. He will be at serial no. 2 at the Bombay High Court since Justice A.S. Chandurkar has been recommended for elevation to the Supreme Court. Even at the Rajasthan High Court, he is at serial no. 2..Rajasthan High CourtThe Collegium has decided to repatriate Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma to his parent high court, namely the Rajasthan High Court. He was transferred to the P&H High Court on May 8, 2023. He was appointed as an additional judge of the Rajasthan High Court on November 16, 2016. He is at serial no. 7 at the P&H High Court. He will be at serial no.3 at his parent high court..If Justice Chandrashekhar, who is currently at Rajasthan High Court, at serial no. 2 is shifted to the Bombay High Court as desired by the collegium, Justice Sharma will become senior-most judge of Rajasthan High Court.Karnataka High CourtJustice Dinesh Kumar Singh, who is on transfer to Kerala High Court, is being sent to the Karnataka High Court. Justice Singh originally hails from the Allahabad High Court. He was transferred to the Kerala High Court on July 21, 2023. He was appointed as an additional judge of the Allahabad High Court on September 22, 2017. At the Kerala High Court, he is at serial no. 11. .Collegium recommends Justices N.V. Anjaria, Vijay Bishnoi and A.S. Chandurkar to the Supreme Court, but no reasons stated for supersession of senior judges.Since the chief justice of the Karnataka High Court, N.V. Anjaria is being elevated to the Supreme Court and the next senior-most Justice V. Kameshwar Rao is being sent to the Delhi High Court, Justice Singh will stand at serial no. 5 at the Karnataka High Court.The collegium has also recommended transferring Justice Jayant Banerji from the Allahabad High Court to the Karnataka High Court. He was appointed as an additional judge at the Allahabad High Court on September 22, 2017. He is at serial no. 17 at that high court. At the Karnataka High Court, he will be at serial no.5Madhya Pradesh High CourtThe collegium has recommended that Justice Vivek Kumar Singh be transferred from the Madras High Court to the High Court of Madhya Pradesh. Justice Singh hails from the Allahabad High Court. He was appointed as an additional judge there on September 22, 2017. He was transferred to the Madras High Court on November 23, 2023. He is at serial no. 19 at the Madras High Court. At the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Justice Singh will stand at serial no.9.Andhra Pradesh High CourtThe collegium has decided to send Justice Battu Devanand to his parent high court, namely the Andhra Pradesh High Court. He is presently posted at the Madras High Court. He was appointed as the judge of the Andhra High Court on January 13, 2020. He was transferred to the Madras High Court on April 10, 2023. He is at serial no.29 at the Madras High Court. At the Andhra Pradesh High Court, Justice Devanand will stand at serial number no.4.Patna High CourtThe collegium has decided to repatriate Justice Sudhir Singh from the Punjab and Haryana High Court to his parent high court, namely the Patna High Court. Justice Singh was appointed as an additional judge of the Patna High Court on April 15, 2015. He was transferred to the Punjab and Haryana High Court on November 2, 2023. He is at serial no. 6 at the Punjab and Haryana High Court. At the Patna High Court, he will be at serial no. 3 provided that Justice Ashutosh Kumar is appointed as chief justice at the Gauhati High Court as recommended by the collegium..The collegium has decided to repatriate Justice Sudhir Singh from the Punjab and Haryana High Court to his parent high court, namely the Patna High Court..Telangana High CourtThe collegium has also decided to repatriate Justice C. Sumalatha from the Karnataka High Court to her parent high court, namely the Telangana High Court. She was appointed as a judge of the Telangana High Court on October 15, 2021. She was transferred to the Karnataka High Court on November 23, 2023. She is at serial no.37 at the Karnataka High Court. In her parent high court, she will be at serial no.8 since Justice Tadakamalla Vinod Kumar is being sent to the Madras High Court from Telangana.Justice Lalitha Kanneganti, who originally hails from the Andhra Pradesh High Court, is being sent to the Telangana High Court. She is presently posted at the Karnataka High Court. She was appointed as judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court on May 2, 2020. Her seniority will also go up in the Telangana High Court..29 High Court recommendations pending with government, 15 SC/ST judges appointed since November 2022: What the Collegium’s data on HC appointments tells us.Annireddy Abhishek Reddy, who is currently posted at the Patna High Court, is also being transferred to his parent high court, the Telangana High Court. He was appointed as judge of that High Court on August 26, 2019. He was transferred to the Patna High Court on May 15, 2023..Note: This article was slightly updated on May 30, 2025.
