On Tuesday, the central government approved the transfer of Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma from the Delhi High Court to the Calcutta High Court. This transfer follows a recommendation made by the Supreme Court Collegium on March 27. 

Justice Sharma, who joined the Delhi Judicial Service in 1992 and advanced to the Higher Judicial Service in 2003, has held prominent positions, including Registrar General of the Delhi High Court and Principal District & Sessions Judge in New Delhi.

A Fellow of the Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute, he has also been involved in training mediators under the Supreme Court’s Mediation Project. He took the oath as a judge of the Delhi High Court on February 28, 2022.

However, the decision has sparked opposition from the bar associations of the Calcutta High Court. In a joint representation to Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna, the Incorporated Law Society of Calcutta, Bar Library Club, and the High Court Bar Association raised concerns, urging the CJI to reconsider the Collegium's recommendation. They expressed their belief that the Calcutta High Court deserves a judge with a more favorable image and a longer tenure, rather than one with a "questionable image" or a brief service period.

"While we are conscious of regular transfers in usual course of administration of justice, we have reasons to believe that this transfer does not fall in that category. We also have reasons to believe that this transfer is due to certain allegations that came to light touching the propriety and manner of functioning of the Learned Judge," the representation read.

The representation also claimed that complaints against Justice Sharma have been pending since October 2024.

Currently, the Calcutta High Court, which has a sanctioned strength of 72 judges, is operating with just 44 judges, leaving a vacancy of 28.