The Kerala High Court has gone in for a reallocation of subjects being handled by some of its judges, triggering a furious debate outside on account of the reported transfer of solar scam cases to new judges.
High Court sources said that it is a normal practice for the court to reassign subjects among judges after each vacation and no meaning should be read into it. The changes have nothing to do with the hearing of particular cases by a particular judge, the sources said.
The debate arose over the reassignment of the solar scam cases, including a petition relating to an allegation against Salim Raj, former gunman of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, being transferred to Justice Harul-Ul-Rashid. Earlier, these cases were heard by Justice V.K. Mohanan, who will now hear criminal miscellaneous petitions filed until 2010.
Bail petitions, earlier heard by Justice S.S. Satheesachandran, will now come up before Thomas P. Joseph. The government had come under fire from Justice Mohanan and Justice Satheesachandran in cases relating to the solar scam.
As part of the change, Justice V.M. Shafeeque will sit with Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and hear appeals and petitions including public interest writ petitions. Earlier, Justice K. Vinod Chandran was sitting with the Chief Justice. Justice Thottathil B. Radhakrishnan will now hear educational matters.