Names of 5 district judges recommended by HC ‘leaked’ to lawyers

On Tuesday, the Delhi High Court sent its recommendation of five names of judges, for promotion to the post of District and Sessions Judge in charge of Delhi courts to the Delhi government. By Tuesday evening, the list of names was circulating among lawyers in the High Court and the District courts, even before the notification was issued or the judges were informed of the decision.

Highly placed sources at the High Court confirmed that the list of District judges was sent to the government on Tuesday. By late evening, multiple sources among the Bar confirmed the names on condition of anonymity.

Transfers and appointments of judges in the Delhi Higher Judicial Services i.e. the Additional District and Sessions Judges, occurs every few months. However, the decision is taken by a committee of judges headed by the Chief Justice, which sends the recommended list of transfer-postings and appointments for approval and notification to the Delhi government. With recent retirements and promotions of judges to the High Court, the position of the District Judges was lying vacant in five of the 11 districts in Delhi.

Interestingly, sources also say that the list of transfers and postings of 71 Additional District Judges and Additional Sessions Judges, which was cleared by the High Court Registrar General and sent to the lower courts on Monday evening, had also been “available” and being circulated among lawyers several hours before being “officially” received by the Bar Associations.