SEKAR REPORTER

Court News from Madras High Court

. 14 (PTI): The proposal of the Chief Justice of India and the Collegium of the Supreme Court to shift Madras High Court Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee to the one in Meghalaya, has snowballed into a controversy with voices pro and against the same.

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  • Protest against proposal to shift MHC CJ Banerjee snowballs into controversy

    Chennai, Nov. 14 (PTI): The proposal of the Chief Justice of India and the Collegium of the Supreme Court to shift Madras High Court Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee to the one in Meghalaya, has snowballed into a controversy with voices pro and against the same.

    Two major associations of the Madras High Court — Madras High Court Advocates Association, the largest association having a membership of over 20,000 advocates and the Madras Bar Association, an elite group of advocates — have joined the chorus and passed resolutions protesting against the proposal to shift the CJ, on Sunday. Over 30 senior advocates of the Madras High Court have also joined the band-wagon.

    While so, there were voices in support of the transfer proposal.

    Advocate R C Paul Kanakaraj, former president of the MHAA and the sitting chief of BJP Legal Wing, alleged that the issue was being politicized. He questioned the logic behind protesting against the transfer without ascertaining the reasons behind the same. There might be some strong reasons for the shifting, he claimed. The resolutions cannot be taken as the ones passed with the majority of the advocates, when there were several thousand lawyers. The transfers might be with good intentions, which would ultimately pave way for seniority and their elevation to the Supreme Court, he added.

    Raising his voice against the resolution against the transfer at the extraordinary emergency meeting of the MBA at its premises on Sunday, advocate G Karthikeyan, who is also the Assistant Solicitor General of the Madras High Court, questioned the logic behind protesting against the CJ alone. Many judges including the Chief Justices were shifted to other High Courts in the recent past. Why was the resolution singled out in respect of CJ Banerjee alone, he asked.

    Another senior most judge T S Sivagnanam was transferred to the High Court in Kolkatta, recently.

    The resolution passed by the MBA included the case of Justice Sivagnanam, too.

    MHAA president G Mohanakrishfnan said that the association was distressed to note that the present Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee was recommended for transfer from Chennai to Meghalaya. He had assumed office only in January 2021 and was a senior Judge. He has been effectively conducting the judicial administration in Tamil Nadu, he said and fervently requested the CJI and the Supreme Court Collegium judges to consider the views of the legal fraternity and take a good decision in the interest of all the stake-holders.

    In its resolution, the MBA stated that a Chief Justice of a large chartered High Court like the one in Chennai, must be given at least two years term to study the situation prevailing in the institution and to take measures to improve the same.
    eom/tss 11.45 p.m.

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