Three high-profile judges transferred to Madras High Court

The three judges are on a transfer from other High Courts according to a communication received by MHC from the Union Ministry for Law and Justice on Wednesday. Highly-placed registry sources, said among the three judges scheduled to join, Justice Huluvadi G Ramesh will be the number two judge next to the Chief Justice. 

Huluvadi Ramesh who started his practice in the courts at Mysore and Bangalore joined Karnataka Judicial Service as District Judge in 1993. Subsequently, he was promoted as District Judge in 2000. He was made an Additional Judge of the Karnataka High Court in 2003 and a permanent Judge in 2004. His tenure as judge prior to the present transfer was at the Allahabad High Court.

Another transfer hailed as a loss to the Delhi High Court but a gain to Madras High Court is that of Justice Rajiv Shakdher. His transfer has triggered a strong debate in legal circles, with them condemning the Supreme Court collegium’s decision to transfer Rajiv Shakdher as unjustified. Known for his integrity, boldness and hard work, he joined Bench of Delhi High Court in 2008 after giving up a lucrative legal practice as a Senior Counsel.

The third judge on transfer is Justice Nooty Ramamohana Rao of the Andhra Pradesh High Court. Hailing from Tanuku of West Godavari District, Ramamohana Rao enrolled as Advocate in 1978. On practising extensively before Andhra Pradesh High Court and other Tribunals, he was appointed as Additional Judge of High Court of Andhra Pradesh in 2006 and a permanent Judge of Andhra Pradesh High Court in 2008. 

The transfers are coming at a time when Justice R Sudhakar from MHC is being transferred as 1st puisne Judge of Jammu and Kashmir High Court. It may also be noted that decks have been cleared for the appointment of as many as six judges.