Chennai: More than 200 lawyers have made a common representation to the Supreme Court collegium urging it to reconsider its recommendation to transfer Madras High Court Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee to the High Court of Meghalaya.
In their letter, the advocates have pointed out that the Madras High Court has already witnessed changes recently, as the two senior-most judges after Justice Banerjee too have left – one because he was elevated to the Supreme Court and the other because he was transferred to the Calcutta High Court.
The representation, running to 12 pages, was signed by 237 advocates, including senior advocates R Vaigai and V Prakash. Advocates NGR Prasad and Sudha Ramalingam among others had also signed the letter.
They have also questioned whether a judge of Justice Banerjee’s reputation and calibre is required in the Meghalaya high court, which sees only 70-75 cases a month, as opposed to 35,000 in the year in Chennai. Since the collegium does not explain its decision, the letter continues, it leads to speculation on why a certain judge may have been transfered.
‘It is well known in legal circles in Tamilnadu that in order to ensure a totally free and independent judiciary, inquires were afoot under the tenure of Chief Justice Banerjee to check corruption in the judiciary. His intolerance for corruption and inefficiency is well known and widely appreciated. The instant transfer would quell any such efforts to strengthen the judiciary in the State… We request that the collegium may reconsider, in public interest, its decision to transfer Mr. Justice Banerjee to Meghalaya High Court,’ they said.