AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat High Court Advocates' Association today said it will file "appropriate legal proceedings" before the Supreme Court against the transfer of Justice Jayant Patel of Karnataka High Court.
Patel was the acting chief justice of Gujarat High Court before being shifted to the Karnataka High Court in February 2016.
The association today passed a resolution, expressing "strongest" disapproval of the SC collegium's decision, and said the lawyers here will abstain from work tomorrow.
"The association expresses its strongest possible objection and disapproval against the decision of the collegium of the Supreme Court to transfer Justice Patel," it said in a release.
"The decision has shaken the belief of the Bar in the independence of the judiciary and has the potential of adversely affecting the morals of the legal fraternity," it said.
Justice Patel was transferred "on the eve of his likely appointment as acting chief justice or chief justice of the Karnataka High Court," the association said.
"(The association) has decided to file appropriate legal proceedings before the Supreme Court...and also raise the larger issues viz., seeking full disclosure of the reason of the collegiums of the Supreme Court and/or High Court with regard to the recommendations of the appointments, non-appointments, non-performance of HC judges and/or elevation or non-elevation of the judges," it said.
Justice Patel had resigned yesterday.
The judge was reportedly unhappy that he was not made the chief justice of any court despite his seniority. The resignation comes days after Patel was transferred to the Allahabad High Court.
Patel was in the limelight after he ordered a CBI probe into the Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case in Gujarat when Narendra Modi was the chief minister of the state.