Telangana advocates demand rollback of judges’ transfer recommendations

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court Advocates Association on Tuesday, April 22, strongly protested the Supreme Court collegium’s recommendation to transfer two sitting judges from the Telangana High Court.

The collegium had proposed transferring Justice K Surender to the Madras High Court and Justice P Sree Sudha to the Karnataka High Court as part of a broader move involving seven judges across various high courts aimed at promoting inclusivity and diversity in the judiciary.

General body meeting’s unanimous resolution

In response, the association convened a general body meeting chaired by its president, A Jagan, where members unanimously resolved to seek the rollback of the transfer recommendations.

The meeting expressed serious concern over the impact of these judicial transfers on the Telangana High Court, highlighting that in recent years, multiple judges have been transferred out without equivalent replacements, leading to a decline in the number of serving judges at the court.

Former association president V Raghunath voiced disappointment over the decision, emphasising that it comes at a time when the Telangana High Court was gaining national recognition for its high case disposal rate.

He particularly lamented the transfer of Justice Surender, noting his exceptional expertise in criminal law and his significant role in reducing the backlog of criminal appeals.

Association to send delegation to the CJI

The association resolved to send a delegation to the Chief Justice of India, Sanjiv Khanna, urging the withdrawal of the transfers of Justices Surender and Sree Sudha.

Additionally, the advocates demanded the prompt filling of all vacant judge posts in the Telangana High Court to prevent further strain on judicial functioning.

The Supreme Court collegium’s transfer recommendations were issued following meetings held on April 15 and 19, with the stated objective of infusing inclusivity and diversity at the high court level and strengthening the administration of justice.

Alongside the Telangana judges, four judges from the Karnataka High Court and one from the Andhra Pradesh High Court were also recommended for transfer to various other high courts.