Supreme Court Collegium turned down Justice VM Velumani’s transfer request to the High Courts of North-east India

The transfer recommendation of Justice VM Velumani of the Madras High Court to the Calcutta High Court was reiterated by the Supreme Court Collegium on March 28. Justice Velumani requested her transfer to one of the states in North-east India especially Manipur, Tripura, and others. The reason behind her request was that she would be able to retain her official residence in Chennai. Supreme Court Collegium turned down the request because there is no valid reason to reconsider her transfer to Calcutta or to accept her request to transfer her to any of the North-east India High Courts. 

The resolution published by the Collegium stated that “Justice VM Velumani has by a communication dated March 17, 2023, sought a transfer to a High Court of the Nort-eastern states, preferably Manipur or Tripura, on the ground that she would then be able to retain her official accommodation at Chennai. The request made by Ms. Justice VM Velumani to retain her at the Madras High Court has been rejected by the Collegium on an earlier occasion. There is no valid reason to reconsider the earlier decision of the Collegium by which her transfer has been recommended to the Calcutta High Court or to accede to her fresh.” 

On 29th September 2022, the Collegium recommended Justice Velumani’s transfer to the Calcutta High Court which was not accepted by her. On October 14, 2022, she sought a reconsideration of the same via a letter. The same was rejected by the Supreme court Collegium and reiterated her transfer recommendation through a resolution on 24th November 2022. Further, on March 17 this year, she again wrote to the Collegium for reconsidering her transfer which was also turned down due to invalid reasons.

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