Telangana and Gujarat High Courts' advocates have decided to abstain from work following social media posts about the proposed transfers of Justices A. Abhishek Reddy and Nikhil S. Kariel, respectively, to the Patna High Court by the Supreme Court Collegium.
It is suggested that the Collegium led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud has also proposed the transfer of Madras High Court Acting Chief Justice T. Raja to Rajasthan.
The Collegium had met on Wednesday evening. However, the Collegium's resolutions have not been published yet.
The Gujarat High Court Bar reportedly decided to abstain from work indefinitely following social media posts about the proposed transfer of Justice Kariel.
The Telangana High Court Bar had followed suit with regard to the proposed transfer of Justice Reddy reported on the social media.
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The Gujarat High Court Bar has also decided to make a representation to the Supreme Court judges. Hundreds of lawyers, it is reported, assembled in the courtroom of the Gujarat High Court Chief Justice Arvind Kumar in what they said was to observe a two-minute silence in protest against Justice Kariel's proposed transfer, which, they said, amounted to the "death of independence of the judiciary".
The reported recommendations of the transfers of these High Court judges have come amidst Law Minister Kiren Rijiju's frontal attack on the "opaque" nature of functioning of the Collegium system.
