KOLKATA: Lawyers at the Calcutta High Court staged a protest on Tuesday, boycotting court proceedings from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in opposition to the Supreme Court Collegium’s recent recommendation to transfer Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma from the Delhi High Court to Calcutta High Court.
Even as the protests continued, the Centre officially notified Justice Sharma’s transfer, prompting three major legal bodies—the Calcutta HC Bar Association, Bar Library Club, and Incorporated Law Society—to write to Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam, declaring that their members would boycott Justice Sharma’s swearing-in ceremony. They also warned that they would refuse to appear before him if he were assigned cases.
Calcutta HC Lawyers Oppose Transfer, Echo Allahabad HC Protest
In a strongly worded letter to Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna last Saturday, the lawyers’ associations argued that the Calcutta High Court must not become a “dumping ground” for judges with questionable records or short tenures. The phrase “dumping ground” had been used just days earlier by lawyers at the Allahabad High Court, who protested the transfer of Justice Yashwant Varma from the Delhi High Court amid a cash-recovery controversy.
With the Calcutta HC lawyers on strike, only a handful of cases were heard, as many judges refused to proceed without both parties present.
Whistleblower Allegations Against Justice Sharma
The three legal associations also escalated their protest by writing to the CJI, attaching whistleblower emails dated October 28 and November 4, 2024. The emails alleged that Justice Sharma had retained certain civil disputes as “part-heard” despite a roster change, raising concerns over judicial propriety.
The lawyers’ bodies also urged the Additional Solicitor General and Advocate General to boycott the swearing-in ceremony in solidarity.
With tensions escalating, the controversy over judicial transfers continues to roil the legal fraternity, raising serious questions about transparency and fairness in judicial appointments.
