Enough burden on our shoulders, says SC; dismisses plea for matter transfer

"We have enough burden on our shoulders" and don't want to add to it, the Supreme Court said on Friday while dismissing a plea seeking transfer of a matter pending before the Punjab and Haryana HC

"We have enough burden on our shoulders" and don't want to add to it, the Supreme Court said on Friday while dismissing a plea seeking transfer of a matter pending before the Punjab and Haryana High Court to the apex court.

A bench of justices D Y Chandrachud and B V Nagarathna observed that just because the high court is not listing the matter, it does not mean that the top court should transfer it to itself.

"We don't want to add to our burden. We have enough burden on our shoulders," the bench told the counsel appearing for the petitioner.

The counsel said that the matter is pending before the high court since 2019.

"High courts are busy with work," the bench observed, adding, "Because high court is not listing a matter therefore, we should transfer it. What kind of a logic is this."

The petitioner's counsel said that apex court is seized of a similar matter and the parties involved are also the same.

The bench said the top court is dealing with a matter related to liquor vends on highways while the plea pending before the high court relates to access control of highways.

The apex court observed that many new highways now have access control and it is important to have as highways pass through villages and towns.

"Parts of the Delhi-Mumbai highway are going to be access controlled. These are all policy matter. We will not transfer it," the bench said.

While dismissing the plea, the bench observed that it can't keep on transferring matters just because the high court is not listing it.