Andhra Pradesh High Court airs concerns over transfer of Chief Justices during key trials

HYDERABAD: The Andhra Pradesh High Court has expressed concern over the timing and way in which chief justices and judges of high courts have been transferred, even as it pointed out that the Supreme Court and High Court were "under attack by persons who are in power."

A bench comprising justices Rakesh Kumar and D Ramesh also sought 'transparency' in transfer of chief justices and judges of high courts for the "betterment or upliftment of the administration of justice."

The observations come at a time of ongoing trials against Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and other politicians, as directed by Supreme Court Justice NV Ramana.

The transfer of chief justices will mean cases pending before the court of special judge for CBI cases in Hyderabad against Reddy and others may be delayed and monitoring by the apex court may be hampered, apart from giving 'undue benefit' to the state government, the bench said on Wednesday.

In October, Reddy had written a letter to Supreme Court chief justice SA Bobde levelling serious allegations against Justice Ramana and a few AP HC judges, accusing them of corruption and conspiring against his government. Within a few weeks, the chief justices of AP and Telangana HCs, Justices Jitendra Kumar Maheshwari and Raghavendra Singh Chouhan, respectively, were transferred. Referring to the letter, the bench said a final hearing that was under way by a full bench headed by Chief Justice Maheshwari into the Amaravati land issue was stopped immediately after the recommendation for his transfer.