Rahul, Priyanka condemn Justice Muralidhar's transfer; gloss over Collegium recommendation

The Congress party on Thursday launched an attack on the Centre over the transfer of Justice S Muralidhar to the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Describing the transfer as “shameful”, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra stated that this was an attempt by the government to muzzle justice. On the other hand, her brother and former Congress president Rahul Gandhi took a dig at the decision issuing a reminder about the death of Judge Loya. The duo appeared to not account for the fact that the transfer recommendation for Justice Muralidhar came from the Supreme Court Collegium on Feb 12.

Incidentally, Supreme Court had ruled out foul play in Judge Loya’s death. Meanwhile, party MP Gaurav Gogoi dubbed the transfer as an attempt to browbeat the Indian judiciary. He alleged that this move was orchestrated by the Prime Minister’s Office. Gogoi's tweet doesn't account for the fact that Justice Muralidhar was stepping in for the Delhi High Court Chief Justice on Wednesday, and wasn't scheduled to continue hearing the case on Thursday.

Read: 'Vendetta' Or Routine? All You Need To Know About Justice Muralidhar's Transfer To P&H HC

Protests against transfer

The Supreme Court Collegium recommending the transfer of Justice Muralidhar to the Punjab and Haryana High Court on February 12 had created quite a flutter in the legal circles. In an urgent meeting of its Executive Committee, the Delhi High Court Bar Association resolved to abstain from work on February 20 to protest against Justice Muralidhar’s transfer. Describing him as one of the “finest” judges, the Association claimed that the SC Collegium’s move was detrimental to the institution. 

The current opposition expressed by the Congress party stems from the fact that the transfer happened on the day when Justice Muralidhar pulled up the Delhi Police for the non-registration of FIRs against leaders giving provocative speeches allegedly leading to the violence in the national capital. In another matter related to the violence, Justice Muralidhar asked the highest functionaries of the state and Central government to meet the victims and their families. Stressing that a 1984-like scenario cannot be allowed to unfold, he directed several relief measures for the victims of the violence. 

Read: SC Collegium Recommends Transfer Of Justice S Muralidhar To Punjab & Haryana HC

Career graph

Commencing his law practice in September 1984 in Chennai, he shifted to the national capital in 1987. Thereafter, he worked as a lawyer in many high-profile cases such as the Bhopal Gas Disaster and the Narmada displacement. Moreover, he served as the counsel for the National Human Rights Commission and the Election Commission of India. In 2003, he was awarded the PhD degree by Delhi University. His book `Law, Poverty and Legal Aid: Access to Criminal Justice' was published by LexisNexis Butterworths in August 2004. Subsequently, he was elevated as a judge of the Delhi High Court in 2006.  

Read: Lawyers Abstain From Work Protesting Transfer Of Justice Muralidhar From Delhi HC

Read: Delhi HC Raps Police On Non-registration Of FIR, Gives Police Commissioner One Day To Act