Legally India understands that several seniors have signed a letter late last week, requesting the collegium to let justice Shakdher stay in the Delhi high court.

The transfer orders of justice Shakdher and three other Delhi high court judges were signed by the President of India by 13 February, according to a Times of India report which had added that it is not usual for the collegium to transfer a high court judge to another high court if the judge is not being made the chief justice of the high court he or she is being transferred to.

On Shakdher’s transfer, Live Law had reported:

“Many senior lawyers and former Judges feel that the decision of the Supreme Court collegium in transferring Justice Rajiv Shakdher to Madras High Court is unjustified. Justice Shakdher is well known for his integrity, boldness and hard work.”

Live Law had quoted an anonymous senior lawyer as commenting: “On one hand you complain about not getting right candidates and on the other, you are rewarding people like Rajiv who sacrificed a lucrative career and joined the bench, like this.”

Shakdher is currently sitting in the Delhi high court and was scheduled to hear nine cases in its courtroom 11 today, according to the high court’s website.

One of the senior advocates who have signed the letter declined to comment when contacted by Legally India today, but did not deny that such a letter had been filed with the collegium.