Madras HC lawyers boycott work protesting CJ's transfer

The functioning of the Madras High Court at its principal seat here and its Madurai bench was paralysed on Tuesday as lawyers boycotted proceedings protesting the transfer of Chief Justice Vijaya K Tahilramani, who for the second day abstained from work.

While members of various bar associations in Chennai stayed away from the courts on Tuesday, their counterparts in Madurai bench announced an indefinite boycott till the Chief Justice's transfer to Meghalaya High Court was withdrawn.

Days after the Supreme Court Collegium declined her request for reconsideration of transfer to Meghalaya, Chief Justice Tahilramani tendered her resignation to the president and sent a copy of it to Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi on September 6, and has abstained from court work since Monday.

A group of advocates took part in the demonstration outside the court here and raised slogans against the transfer.

Most of the judges retired to their chambers as there were no advocates to argue cases listed for the day.

The bar associations claimed that the boycott call was a success.

Speaking to reporters here, former president of the Madras High Court Advocates Association Mohanakrishnan said they would sent a representation to the Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi demanding the recall of the transfer order.

The collegium, headed by the CJI had recommended transfer of Tahilramani, who was elevated as the high court chief justice on August 8 last year, to the Meghalaya High Court.

It had recommended her transfer on August 28, after which she had made a representation requesting it to reconsider the proposal.