The Supreme Court Collegium has proposed the transfer of four judges from the Karnataka High Court to different High Courts across the country.

As per the Collegium’s resolution passed during meetings held on April 15 and April 19, the following recommendations have been made:

• Justice Krishna Dixit to the Orissa High Court

• Justice K Natarajan to the Kerala High Court

• Justice Hemant Chandangoudar to the Madras High Court

• Justice Sanjay Gowda to the Gujarat High Court

News of the impending transfers had already sparked unease within the legal fraternity. In response, both the Advocates Association, Bengaluru, and the President of the Advocates Association (R) of the Karnataka High Court's Dharwad Bench wrote to Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, registering their opposition to the proposed move.

Interestingly, Justice Krishna Dixit himself made a light-hearted reference to the developments while hearing a matter on April 17. When a lawyer sought a date for the next hearing, the judge quipped, “Next week anyway you may have a good bench also. You are weeding away all bad people now,” suggesting that the matter might soon be heard by another bench.

He further remarked that as a judge, he is duty-bound to serve wherever he is posted. “When a soldier is posted somewhere, it is his duty to go there. He should go there happily and work, that is all,” he said. “If we go there, there will be specialities for us. Will they send us to the Himalayas? If a High Court bench is set up in the Himalayas, I will go there too. No problem.”

The recommendations await approval by the Centre.