Madras HC CJ to quits in protest to Meghalaya transfer

In an unprecedented step, Madras High Court Chief Justice V K Tahilramani on Friday quit in protest against her transfer to Meghalaya High Court.

Tahilramanai, who assumed office as CJ of Madras High Court in 2018, is best known for her verdict upholding life sentence awarded to 11 convicts in the gang rape of Bilkis Bano and the murder of her family during the 2002 Gujarat riots.

Upset over her transfer to Meghalaya High Court, which has a strength of just three judges, the CJ let her decision known to her fellow judges at a dinner in Chennai late on Friday night.

Though the CJ announced her decision, it is not clear when she would send in her resignation to the President. Sources said the CJ was upset that her request to reconsider the transfer to a “relatively smaller court” when compared to Madras HC, which has a sanctioned strength of 75 judges, had been declined by the Collegium.

Tahilramanai, who was acting Chief Justice of Bombay High Court for two years, succeeded Indira Banerjee, who was elevated as Judge of Supreme Court.

The Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and comprising four other senior most judges had on August 28 proposed her transfer to the Meghalaya HC.

Justice Tahilramani was to take charge as Chief Justice of Meghalaya HC. Justice A K Mittal, Chief Justice of Meghalaya HC, was transferred to Madras HC as Chief Justice.

On September 3, the Collegium had declined Justice Tahilramani's request, made on September 2, to reconsider the decision. It had reiterated its recommendation.

The Collegium had recorded she was transferred in "the interest of better administration of justice".