CJI: On Monday, the lawyers from the Gujarat and Telangana High Courts met with the Chief Justice of India, D.Y. Chandrachud, and two Supreme Court judges to discuss the Collegium’s proposed transfers of Justices Nikhil Kariel and A. Abhishek Reddy. They agreed to “examine” their complaints while “strongly conveying” that they must return to work.
The Chief Justice met with the Gujarat lawyers’ delegation first at 1.30 p.m. during lunch break. He was joined by Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and M.R. Shah, members of the Collegium. After court hours, the Telangana set of attorneys met with them in the evening.
“The Chief Justice assured us he will examine our grievances and sentiments. The CJI and Justice Kaul asked us to convey to our Bar to call off the strike,” as a member of the delegation and the secretary of the Gujarat High Court Advocates’ Association, attorney Hardik D. Brahmbhatt provided a summary of the meeting.
Statement issued by the Gujarat delegation
According to a statement issued by the Gujarat delegation, the CJI received a thorough representation on November 20. After the meeting, supporting paperwork and documents were delivered to the CJI’s office for review.
A similar report of the meeting was provided by advocate Sri Jalli Narendar, who had flown four days prior from Telangana to the national capital with a group.
“The CJI said they will examine our representation and take an appropriate decision. He [the CJI] has responded positively. He said they have to discuss and take a decision,” stated Mr. Narendar, secretary of the Telangana High Court Advocates Association.
Chief Justice Chandrachud has reportedly promised to visit the State High Court shortly, according to the Telangana attorneys.
Mr. Narendar responded, “The Collegium has used a pick-and-choose strategy,” when asked what they found objectionable about the planned removal of Justice Reddy. One of the senior-most judges on the Telangana High Court Bench, according to him, is Justice Reddy.
The Gujarat lawyers indicated they will decide after a meeting, despite the Telangana lawyers’ announcement that they would resume work on Tuesday.
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No statement regarding the meetings was made by the Supreme Court.
Trouble started when attorneys from the Gujarat High Court protested Justice Kariel’s relocation from their court to Patna. They called it the “death of the independence of the judiciary.”
In a resolution opposing his transfer, the Gujarat High Court Advocates’ Association referred to Justice Kariel as the “finest, upright, honest and unbiased” judge.
High Court attorneys in Telangana joined the protest by skipping work.
The alleged recommendation to remove Acting Chief Justice T. Raja to Rajasthan has angered Madras High Court attorneys as well.
The resolutions of the Collegium, meanwhile, have still not been released. The most recent one, which was released on Tuesday, is the Collegium’s recommendation to transfer Justice Vipul Manubhai Pancholi, a judge on the Gujarat High Court, to the Patna High Court. The Supreme Court’s internal transparency initiative, which aims to lift the veil of secrecy over the Collegium’s operations, includes the uploading of Collegium resolutions.
Addressing the Bar Council of India and attorneys from all over the nation on Saturday, Chief Justice Chandrachud expressed his desire for “a feeling of harmony and balance” to rule during his term. He claimed that when lawyers strike, justice consumers suffer. According to the Chief Justice, sometimes “tough decisions” must be made in order to improve the nation.
Kiren Rijiju, minister of law, warned protesting attorneys bluntly that “things have a possibility of taking a different turn” when they “get too noisy in terms of putting out demands.”
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