SC recommends transfer of Justice Pancholi to Patna HC

Ahmedabad: While lawyers of the Gujarat high court are on strike in protest against the proposed transfer of Justice Nikhil Kariel, the Supreme Court on Monday made a statement that its collegium had recommended the transfer of Justice Pancholi to Patna high court during a meeting held on September 29.
The apex court made its recommendation regarding Justice Pancholi’s transfer public after members of the Gujarat High Court Advocates Association (GHAA) held a meeting with the Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud and two other members of the collegium — Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and M R Shah — to express their grievance about the recommended transfer of Justice Kariel to the Patna HC.
GHAA said the meeting between its members and the judges lasted 30 minutes and the Bar members made their representation. The CJI assured the lawyers that their issue would be duly examined, but strongly conveyed that the lawyers should not abstain from work.
The GHAA on Monday continued the strike and its office-bearers may review the indefinite nature of their strike on Tuesday morning. Earlier, they were to review their decision on Monday morning, but a meeting with the CJI postponed the review.
On November 17, as soon as the news arrived about the SC collegium’s recommendation of Justice Kariel’s transfer to Patna HC, Bar members rushed to the chief justice’s court and sought permission “to mourn the death of the independence of judiciary” in a strong disapproval of the transfer of “an upright and unbiased judge”.
Gujarat HC Chief Justice Aravind Kumar held a meeting with members of the Bar in his chamber, but the Bar members were adamant about expressing their anguish and decided to go on indefinite strike.
During a hearing on Monday, when a party-in-person appeared before the bench led by the chief justice for a PIL taking exception to illegal construction around Surat airport. The bench adjourned the case and the CJ told the litigant, “We are appealing to the advocates to end the strike.”
Last week, the SC collegium recommended shifting the Madras high court’s acting Chief Justice T Raja to the Rajasthan high court, while Justice Kariel and Justice A Abhishek Reddy of the Telangana HC were to be transferred to tje Patna HC.