New Delhi – The Supreme Court Collegium, in a significant move, is considering the transfer of fourteen judges across various High Courts in the country. The consideration took today in a collegium meeting held on August 25, 2025. The recommendations will be forwarded to the Union Government for its consideration and for the subsequent issuance of notifications by the President of India to formalise the transfers.
Background of the Matter
The transfer of judges between High Courts is governed by Article 222 of the Constitution of India, which empowers the President, after consultation with the Chief Justice of India, to move a judge from one High Court to another. The procedure for such transfers is guided by the Memorandum of Procedure and the principles laid down by the Supreme Court in various judicial precedents, primarily the Three Judges Cases. The Supreme Court Collegium, a body comprising the Chief Justice of India and the four senior-most judges of the Supreme Court, is the primary authority for initiating proposals for the appointment and transfer of High Court judges. These recommendations are considered binding on the executive, except in rare and exceptional circumstances.
Collegium’s Proposed Transfers
The Collegium is considering to recommend the transfer of the following fourteen judges to the High Courts indicated against their names. The list includes the name of the judge, their present High Court, and the High Court to which their transfer has been proposed.
| S. No. | Name of the Judge (Hon’ble Mr./Ms. Justice) | Present High Court | Proposed High Court |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Atul Sreedharan | Madhya Pradesh | Chhattisgarh |
| 2. | Sanjay Agrawal | Chhattisgarh | Allahabad |
| 3. | J. Nisha Banu | Madras | Kerala |
| 4. | Dinesh Mehta | Rajasthan | Delhi |
| 5. | Avneesh Jhingan [PHC: P&H] | Rajasthan | Delhi |
| 6. | Arun Monga [PHC: P&H] | Delhi | Kerala |
| 7. | Sanjay Kumar Singh | Allahabad | Madras |
| 8. | Rohit Ranjan Agarwal | Allahabad | Calcutta |
| 9. | Manavendranath Roy [PHC: A.P.] | Gujarat | Andhra Pradesh |
| 10. | Donadi Ramesh [PHC: A.P.] | Allahabad | Andhra Pradesh |
| 11. | Sandeep Natvarlal Bhatt | Gujarat | Madhya Pradesh |
| 12. | Chandrasekharan Sudha | Kerala | Delhi |
| 13. | Tara Vitasta Ganju | Delhi | Patna |
| 14. | Subhendu Samanta | Calcutta | Andhra Pradesh |
The proposals will now be processed by the Ministry of Law and Justice. Following the necessary procedural steps, the President of India is expected to issue the formal transfer orders, after which the judges will assume their new roles in the proposed High Courts.
