Protest over judge transfer affects courts in Karnataka

BENGALURU: Proceedings in courts across Karnataka, including the high court, were affected on Wednesday as advocates stayed away in protest against the proposed transfer and consequent resignation of Justice Jayant Patel from the high court.

Justice Patel, the secondmost senior judge of the Karnataka HC, had resigned on September 27, saying he wasn't keen on a transfer with barely 10 months of his tenure left. He declined to react to his proposed transfer to the Allahabad high court. He was transferred to Karnataka in February 2016 after he was the acting chief justice of the Gujarat high court for about six months.

Considering his seniority, Justice Patel was supposed be the acting chief justice of the Karnataka high court after Justice S K Mukherjee's retirement on October 9.

The Karnataka State Bar Council (KSBC) had, on September 27, passed a resolution asking advocates to abstain from courts following the sudden resignation of Justice Patel.

The Advocates Association of Bengaluru supported the call. Most courts, barring those dealing with criminal matters, ended early as advocates stayed away.

In some instances in the HC, litigants were seen pleading with the judges to post their matter for the earliest working day, saying they had been waiting for months or even years. Only two cases, in which the parties themselves submitted their arguments, were taken up for consideration in the HC.

In criminal cases, pending criminal petitions and criminal appeals were heard as the prosecution presented their case. A similar situation prevailed in subordinate courts, tribunals and revenue courts as well.