In a series of late-night notifications on Thursday, the Union Law Ministry announced the transfer of seven High Court judges, with four from the Karnataka High Court moved to the High Courts of Gujarat, Kerala, Orissa, and Madras.
Two judges from the Telangana HC were reassigned to the Karnataka and Madras HCs, while one judge from the Andhra Pradesh HC, Justice Kumbhajadala Manmadha Rao, was posted to the Karnataka HC.
Key transfers include:
- Justice K Surender (Telangana HC) → Madras HC
- Justice Perugu Sree Sudha (Telangana HC) → Karnataka HC
- Justice Hemant Chandangoudar (Karnataka HC) → Madras HC
- Justice NS Sanjay Gowda (Karnataka HC) → Gujarat HC
- Justice Krishnan Natarajan (Karnataka HC) → Kerala HC
- Justice Dixit Krishna Shripad (Karnataka HC) → Orissa HC
The government also appointed seven new permanent judges to the Gujarat High Court, increasing its working strength to 39 out of a sanctioned 52. The appointees, in order of seniority, are:
- Liyakathussain Shamsuddin Pirzada
- Ramchandra Thakurdas Vachhani
- Jayesh Lakhanshibhai Odedra
- Pranav Maheshbhai Raval
- M.C. Tyagi
- Dipak Mansukhlal Vyas
- Utkarsh Thakorbhai Desai
Despite these moves, judicial vacancies remain a major concern, with 354 posts unfilled across 25 High Courts. The Allahabad High Court, India’s largest, currently faces a shortfall of 72 judges, with only 88 in place against a sanctioned strength of 160.
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