Government accepts resignation of Madras High Court Chief Justice

NEW DELHI: The resignation of Madras High Court Chief Justice V K Tahilramani has been accepted, according to a government notification.

Her resignation has been accepted with effect from September 6, it said. She had resigned after the Supreme Court collegium declined her request for reconsideration of transfer to the Meghalaya HC.

Justice V Kothari has been appointed as the acting chief justice of the Madras High Court, another notification said.

The transfer of Justice Tahilramani from the Madras High Court to the Meghalaya High Court had snowballed into a major controversy with lawyers in Chennai as well as in her home state of Maharashtra coming out in protest against the Supreme Court collegium’s decision in this regard.

Later on September 12, the apex court had come out with a statement, saying that each of the recommendations for transfer of Chief Justices and Judges of various high courts was based on “cogent reasons”.

Without naming Justice Tahilramani, the statement issued by the office of apex court’s Secretary General Sanjeev S Kalgaonkar had said the reasons of transfer of judges were not disclosed in the interest of the institution but the apex court collegium would not hesitate to disclose them in the circumstance it becomes necessary.

The statement was released against the backdrop of media reports and speculation on the transfer of Justice Tahilramani.

Justice Tahilramani had resigned on September 6, days after the Supreme Court Collegium declined her request for reconsideration of her transfer.

She had sent her resignation letter to President Ram Nath Kovind, a copy of which was sent to Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi.