CHENNAI: A division bench of the Madras High Court has reserved its orders on the maintainability of a PIL petition seeking to restrain the secretary to the President of India from giving effect to the proposal of the Supreme Court Collegium to transfer Chief Justice Vijaya K Tahilramani to Meghalaya High Court.
The bench of Justices M Sathyanarayanan and N Seshasayee reserved the orders on Friday after listening to the brief argument of the counsel for M Karpagam, the petitioner. In her PIL petition Karpagam, also an advocate of Nandanam Extension, among other things contended that the transfer of Chief Justice Tahilramani of the High Court in Meghalaya should not be exercised or decided by the Apex Court Collegium, as such a provision is nowhere found in the Constitution.
Vijaya Tahilramani tendered her resignation on September 6, after she was transferred to the Meghalaya High Court. The Supreme Court collegium rejected the request to reconsider her transfer to Meghalaya. She also stayed away from the Court proceedings.
The Registrar General, along with 14 other registrars, is handling the day-to-day administration of the High Court. Meanwhile, the Collegium had recommended that Chief Justice A K Mittal, who presently heads the Meghalaya High Court, be appointed as Chief Justice of the Madras High Court.
However, the Central Government is yet to approve this recommendation. Vijaya Tahilramani took over as Chief Justice of the Madras High Court from Chief Justice Indira Banerjee, who is elevated as judge of the Supreme Court.