A storm is stirring inside the Delhi High Court corridors. Sixty-six women lawyers, including some of the most prominent names at the Bar, have penned a strongly worded appeal to Chief Justice of India BR Gavai, urging him to halt the unexpected transfer of Justice Tara Vitasta Ganju to the Karnataka High Court.
The signatories—among them Arundhati Katju, Geeta Luthra, Malavika Rajkotia, Swathi Sukumar, Diya Kapur, Malvika Trivedi and Kaadambari Singh—say the Collegium’s move has not only unsettled the Delhi legal community but also raised troubling questions about transparency in judicial transfers.
Justice Ganju, they argue, is no ordinary judge. A lawyer and jurist steeped in Delhi’s legal tradition for three decades, she is described in their letter as a figure of “unblemished record, professional integrity, and exceptional legal acumen.” Her reputation at the Bench, they note, rests on both her rigorous disposal rate and her encouragement of younger lawyers to find their voice in court—an approach that has won her the admiration of the Bar.
But beyond her personal credentials, the letter takes aim at the larger system itself. The lawyers warn that opaque transfer processes fuel rumour mills and undermine institutional integrity. They insist that if transfers must happen, reasons should be made public and procedures clearly defined—anything less chips away at the trust between the Bench and the Bar.
Their plea reads as both protest and warning: “Frequent transfers of valued Judges erode the confidence of the Bar, which has nurtured fine judges in its unique traditions.”
Justice Ganju’s name surfaced alongside that of Justice Arun Monga, who has been recommended for transfer to Rajasthan. Both proposals still await clearance from the Union government.
This is not the first voice of dissent. Just a day earlier, the Delhi High Court Bar Association itself wrote to the CJI and the Collegium, voicing unease over what they described as a growing trend of abrupt judicial reshuffles. In yet another show of solidarity, 94 Delhi-based advocates have also urged reconsideration of Justice Ganju’s proposed transfer.
For now, all eyes remain on the Collegium and the Centre. Whether this wave of protest can stall the move—or reshape the larger debate around judicial transfers—remains the unanswered question.
