Orissa High Court Chief Justice Muralidhar left out of transfer list

Government has split the collegium recommendation by notifying Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh Chief Justice Mithal’s transfer but leaving out Justice Muralidhar

The Centre on Tuesday remained mute about a Supreme Court collegium recommendation to transfer Orissa High Court Chief Justice Dr. S. Muralidhar as Chief Justice of the Madras High Court.

However, it went ahead and notified the transfer of Justice Pankaj Mithal, Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, to head the Rajasthan High Court.

Also read | When Justice Muralidhar’s transfer from Delhi High Court triggered a war of words

The collegium had recommended the transfers of both Chief Justices in one batch on September 28. The government has now split the collegium recommendation by notifying Justice Mithal’s transfer but leaving out Justice Muralidhar.

In 2018, the government had unilaterally bifurcated Justice (now retired) Indu Malhotra’s file and appointed her as a Supreme Court judge while returning Justice K.M. Joseph’s name to the collegium.

Both Justices Malhotra and Joseph were part of the same batch of judges recommended for elevation to the Supreme Court.

Justice Muralidhar, when he was a judge of the Delhi High Court, had sharply criticised the Centre and the Delhi Police over the violence in the capital in 2020. He was later transferred to the Punjab and Haryana High Court.