Telangana HC advocates boycott work protesting judge transfer

Hyderabad: In an unprecedented decision, the advocates of the Telangana High Court led by its Bar Association began a week-long boycott of work from Tuesday afternoon until Saturday evening demanding recall of the Supreme Court Collegium decision to transfer the senior most judge Justice P V Sanjay Kumar as a junior judge to Punjab & Haryana High Court. Immediately after the Extraordinary General Body Meeting held in the Bar Association Hall, scores of advocates went all around the courts, including the first court of Chief Justice and the second court where Justice Sanjay Kumar was sitting and disrupted the proceedings. They informed the judges about the decision of the General Body to boycott work and requested the advocates present in the court halls to leave.

Earlier, a highly charged EGB meeting was held in the Association Hall to discuss the issue of transfer of Justice Sanjay Kumar. President of Telangana High Court Advocates Association President T. Surya Karan Reddy informed the audience how this decision of the Supreme Court Collegium was a blatant injustice to Telangana as Justice Sanjay Kumar was eligible to be made Chief Justice of any High Court but instead was being sent as a junior judge at 12th position in Punjab and Haryana High Court. He listed how for some other state High Courts had two of its judges functioning as Chief Justices.

Several senior counsels spoke in the meeting and assailed the decision of the Supreme Court Collegium. They criticised the usage of words "for better administration of justice" to justify the transfer decision and demanded to know what exactly the Collegium meant by that. Many, including junior advocates, extolled the humble nature, sharp judicial mind and independent nature of Justice Sanjay Kumar and felt injustice was being done to him with an ulterior motive of scuttling his growth. Others felt that it is not about a single judge but about the independence of judiciary that must be safeguarded from such arbitrary and whimsical actions, not only from governments but also from Supreme Court Collegium.

The EGBM unanimously passed resolutions requesting Supreme Court Collegium to recall their resolution dated 28-08-2019 in transferring Justice P V Sanjay Kumar to Punjab & Haryana High Court and further consider his elevation as Chief Justice to any appropriate High Court. It was also resolved to abstain from court work with immediate effect till 07-09-2019. It was further resolved to request the lower courts bar associations to also decide to abstain court work from 04-09-2019 till 07-09-2019. The meeting also decided to send a delegation of Executive Committee along with senior advocates to represent the issue before the Chief Justice of India and other Collegium members as also to the President of India, Prime Minister and Union Law Minister and also to the Chief Justice of Telangana High Court on this issue. It was also decided to file a PIL in Supreme Court for framing of guidelines in regard to transfer of High Court judges.