Title: Top Court Collegium Denies Request for Retention of Delhi High Court Justice, Recommends Transfer to Rajasthan
The top court collegium has recently denied the retention request of Justice Rajnish Bhatnagar from the Delhi High Court and has instead recommended his transfer to the Rajasthan High Court. This decision comes after Justice Bhatnagar made a representation to the collegium requesting his retention in Delhi. However, the collegium, in line with the memorandum of procedure, consulted judges of the Supreme Court who are familiar with the affairs of both the Delhi and Rajasthan High Courts. It also sought the opinions of the chief justices of the high courts in question.
After considering Justice Bhatnagar’s representation, the collegium concluded that there was no merit in his request. In a resolution uploaded on the apex court’s website, the collegium reiterated its previous recommendation made on August 10, 2023, to transfer Justice Rajnish Bhatnagar to the Rajasthan High Court.
In a separate resolution, the collegium also discussed the representation made by Justice Sudhir Singh of the Patna High Court regarding his transfer to the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Initially, on August 3, the collegium had proposed his transfer for the purpose of better administration of justice. However, Justice Singh, prior to a final decision on his transfer, made a representation to the collegium requesting a consideration of the facts mentioned in his letter. He expressed his willingness to abide by the collegium’s decision on the matter of transfer.
In response to Justice Singh’s representation, the collegium chose to defer the proposal for his transfer for the time being. As per the Memorandum of Procedure, the collegium consulted the judges of the Supreme Court who are well-versed in the workings of the Patna High Court. The chief justices of the Patna High Court and the Punjab and Haryana High Court were also consulted. Despite the representation, the collegium ultimately resolved to reiterate its recommendation from August 3, 2023, to transfer Justice Sudhir Singh to the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Overall, this decision by the top court collegium highlights the adherence to established procedures and consultative processes in matters of judicial transfers. The collegium’s resolutions demonstrate its commitment to maintaining an efficient and balanced administration of justice across different high courts in the country.
