Bengaluru: Members of the Bar Association held a protest on Wednesday on the premises of Karnataka High Court demanding withdrawal of transfer of four High Court judges. They have raised strong objections to the order recently passed by the Supreme Court collegium regarding transfer of these judges.
The Bar Association members, along with senior advocates and lawyers including Uday Holla, Vijay Kumar S. Patil, K.N. Phanindra, and Naragund, launched the protest and criticised the sudden transfers as 'unfair'. They urged the SC collegium to reconsider and revoke the said decision.
Association President Vivek Subba Reddy said, "The collegium has said that the transfers are meant to bring diversity and equal representation in the judiciary. But this explanation is not acceptable. If that is the rule, it should apply to all courts across the country. These transfers must be reviewed and withdrawn immediately."
"The four judges who were transferred were serving their duties well in Karnataka. Bringing in judges from other states to replace them is unjust. Are we treating the Karnataka High Court as a dustbin?" he questioned.
Reddy further said that after a general body meeting, the Association will send a formal request to the Chief Justice of India, other collegium judges, and the Union Law Minister, asking them to revoke the transfer orders.
Senior advocate BV Acharya said, "According to a recent survey, the Karnataka judiciary is ranked number one in the country in terms of delivering justice. Our judges are known for their fairness and integrity, and there have been no complaints against them."
"These judges are working beyond their scheduled hours to help both lawyers and litigants by completing hearings quickly. Still, the transfers are being justified in the name of 'better administration' and 'inclusiveness'. We feel this is not the real reason. We don't even know why they were transferred. The collegium must withdraw this decision immediately, and the government should not allow this to happen," he added.
