On Tuesday after he reprimanded the Delhi Police over its inaction in filing FIRs against the BJP leaders who made hate speeches, Justice S Muralidhar of the Delhi High Court was transferred to the Punjab and Haryana High Court following approval of a February 12 recommendation to the effect from the Supreme Court Collegium.
The Bar and Bench reports, notification from the Department of Justice in the Ministry of Law and Justice said, “In exercise of the power conferred by clause (1) of Article 222 of the Constitution of India, the President, after consultation with the Chief Justice of India, is pleased to transfer Shri Justice S Muralidhar, Judge of the Delhi High Court, as a Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and to direct him to assume charge of his office in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.”
The notification follows the recommendation passed by the Collegium headed by Chief Justice of Indian S A Bobde. Protesting Justice Muralidhar’s transfer, the Delhi High Court Bar Association had urged the Collegium to “revisit” and recall its recommendation, saying such transfers “tend to erode and dislodge the faith of the common litigant in the justice dispensation system”.
The transfer comes after Justice Murlidhar took a strong stand and pulled up the Delhi police asking them to sit and watch all videos of hate speeches made in the recent past and submit a report by Thursday when it will hear the matter again.
Meanwhile, 18 FIRs at various police stations were registered and 106 people arrested under various sections over violence in northeast Delhi that erupted on Sunday, the Delhi Police said on Wednesday. The Delhi Police spokesperson said that search for perpetrators of violence was on and CCTV footages were been scanned to identify the accused.