SC Publishes Statement On Transfer Of Justice Vipul Pancholi Of Gujarat HC, No Mention Of Transfers That Led To Protests

The Supreme Court has published a statement on its website that the Collegium in its meeting held on September 29, 2022 has recommended the transfer of Justice Vipul Manubhai Pancholi of the Gujarat High Court to the Patna High Court.

The Supreme Court is yet to publish any statement on the transfer of Justice Nikhil S Kariel of the Gujarat High Court and Justice A Abhishek Reddy of the Telangana High Court to the Patna High Court. Both the Telangana High Court and the Gujarat High Court witnessed massive protests by the Bar against the reported transfers.

The news of the said transfers was published in the media and even the Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court was not aware of such a decision of the Collegium when the same was mentioned by lawyers before the Court. 

Justice Vipul Pancholi was appointed a Judge of the Gujarat High Court on October 1, 2014 and is due to retire on May 27, 2030. 

The Gujarat High Court Bar Association had passed a resolution to abstain from work in protest against the Collegium's decision to transfer Justice Nikhil S Kariel to the Patna High Court. Prior to that, around 300 lawyers had gathered in the CJ's Courtroom while hearings were going on and had told the Court, "We have come here to mourn the death knell of the independence of Judiciary".

Today, the representatives of the Gujarat High Court Advocates' Association met Chief Justice Chandrachud in the presence of the other members of the Collegium (Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M. R. Shah). The meeting is reported to have lasted for about 30 minutes.

The Chief Justice is reported to have assured the representatives of the Bar that the issues raised would be duly examined but conveyed that since such assurance has been given, the Advocates should not abstain from work.

The Advocates of the Telangana High Court are also protesting over the news of the transfer of Justice Annireddy A Reddy to the Patna High Court. They have been abstaining from work since Friday and it continued today.