SC Collegium rejects transfer of Madras High Court judge

The Supreme Court Collegium recently rejected a request made by Justice VM Velumani to retain her at the Madras High Court judge or any North-Eastern states. The Collegium headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud rejected the request of Justice Velumani and refused to reconsider the original decision. The Collegium in its resolution dated September 29, 2022, had proposed to transfer Justice Velumani to the Calcutta High Court for the better administration of justice. Justice Velumani who was appointed as a judge of the Madras High Court on December 20, 2013, sought reconsideration of the recommendation in her letter dated October 14, 2022. Her request was not acceded to by the Collegium and it reiterated its recommendation for her transfer. Justice Velumani in a communication dated March 17, 2023, sought a transfer to a High Court of the North-Eastern States, preferably Manipur or Tripura, on the ground that she would then be able to retain her official accommodation at Chennai. “The request made by Justice VM Velumani to retain her at the Madras High Court has been rejected by the Collegium on an earlier occasion. There is no valid reason to reconsider the earlier decision of the Collegium by which her transfer has been recommended to the Calcutta High Court or to accede to her fresh request. Her request for transfer to either Manipur or Tripura or any High Court in the North-Eastern States is rejected,” stated the resolution passed by the Collegium. In another resolution, the Collegium also comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, KM Joseph, MR Shah and Ajay Rastogi, accepted the request of Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma for the transfer to the Punjab and Haryana High Court from Patna High Court, where he is currently posted.