Supreme Court Collegium Recommends Transfer of Seven High Court Judges, Including Four from Karnataka
Kiran Raj
The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended the transfer of seven judges across various High Courts, including four judges from the Karnataka High Court. The recommendations, aimed at infusing inclusivity and diversity and strengthening the quality of administration of justice, were made during Collegium meetings held on April 15 and April 19, 2025.
The judges recommended for transfer are:
- Justice Hemant Chandangoudar — from Karnataka High Court to Madras High Court
- Justice Krishnan Natarajan — from Karnataka High Court to Kerala High Court
- Justice Neranahalli Srinivasan Sanjay Gowda — from Karnataka High Court to Gujarat High Court
- Justice Krishna Shripad — from Karnataka High Court to Orissa High Court
- Justice Perugu Sree Sudha — from Telangana High Court to Karnataka High Court
- Justice Kasoju Surendhar alias K. Surender — from Telangana High Court to Madras High Court
- Justice Dr. Kumbhajadala Manmadha Rao — from Andhra Pradesh High Court to Karnataka High Court
The transfer of four sitting judges from the Karnataka High Court has drawn particular attention and triggered concern within sections of the legal fraternity in the State. The President of the Advocates Association (R) of the Karnataka High Court’s Dharwad Bench and the Advocates Association, Bengaluru, had written to Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna opposing the proposed moves.
Among the judges recommended for transfer, Justice Krishna Dixit addressed the matter in during a hearing on April 17. Responding to a lawyer who sought a date in a case, Justice Dixit remarked in a lighter vein:
"Next week anyway you may have a good bench also. You are weeding away all bad people now," he said with a smile.
He also made candid comments about his readiness to serve wherever required, likening the responsibility of a judge to that of a soldier:
"When a soldier is posted somewhere, it is his duty to go there. He should go there happily and work, that is all. If we go there, there will be specialities for us. Will they send us to the Himalayas? If a High Court bench is set up in the Himalayas, I will go there too. No problem."
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