Bar Association Resolves To Boycott Work In Karnataka High Court Tomorrow In Protest Against Proposed Transfer Of Judges

Earlier today, the Association held a massive protest outside the Karnataka High Court, attended by a large number of lawyers between 10:15 AM and 11:30 AM.

Speaking to Verdictum, Senior Advocate M.B. Nargund linked the recent Collegium response to earlier developments, stating, “The response of the Collegium is a knee jerk response to the March 14, 2025 incident (incident at the then Delhi High Court Judge, Justice Yashwant Verma's residence)… therefore, without there being a transparent policy for transfer, selecting certain High Courts and passing an order is not in the interest of indipendence of the judiciary… it affects the independence of the judiciary also.”

The Senior Advocates practicing at the High Court of Karnataka, together with the Advocates’ Association, Bengaluru, have also opposed the Supreme Court Collegium’s recommendation.

On April 21, 2025, a meeting was convened by the Advocates’ Association, Bengaluru with all Senior Advocates “to deliberate upon the sudden and unexpected recommendation by the Hon’ble Supreme Court Collegium to transfer several esteemed Judges of the Karnataka High Court.” The collective and unanimous opinion of all Senior Advocates present was that these proposed transfers were “unjustified, arbitrary, and detrimental to the cause of justice.”

Earlier, on April 19, the Senior Advocates had addressed a detailed appeal to the Chief Justice of India, writing, “We, the Senior Advocates practicing at the Hon’ble High Court of Karnataka, with the utmost respect and regard towards the Judiciary and its independence, write this letter with deep sense of concern, anguish, disappointment and anxiety regarding the Collegium resolutions dated 15th April 2025 and 19th April 2025…”

That letter went on to state, “We can unanimously vouch for the professionalism, integrity, efficiency, legal acumen and judicial consciousness of Hon’ble Justice Krishna Dixit, Hon’ble Justice Sanjay Gowda and Hon’ble Justice Hemant Chandangoudar. These Hon’ble Judges work tirelessly over time… and have created a courtroom environment that actively encourages young lawyers to rise, argue, and be heard on merit.”

Warning of consequences, the letter stated, “The recommendation to transfer these Hon’ble Judges… would disrupt the ongoing Judicial Proceedings and Administrative functions… and undermines the confidence of the Advocates, Litigants and General Public in the independence and transparency of the Judiciary.” They wrote that the Bar had not been consulted, despite the repeated understanding that “the Bar and Bench are two sides of the same coin.”

Citing the Indian Justice Report released in April 2025, the Senior Advocates pointed out, “Karnataka tops the Justice delivery in India… with a composite score of 6.78 out of 10. The Justice delivery and judicial consciousness of these Hon’ble Judges were one of the driving factors behind the Judicial efficiency in the State.”

At 4:00 PM on April 21, the Senior Advocates and office‑bearers of the Advocates’ Association passed a unanimous resolution stating, “…the manner in which Karnataka High Court has been singled out for such a significant transfer is unacceptable…especially given the scandalous discoveries regarding a Judge of the Delhi High Court.”

Identical letters were addressed on 21st April 2025 to the Prime Minister, President, Vice Minister and Law Minister, each urging, “We most humbly request that any decision in the matter may not be taken in haste and that our concerns regarding the decision of transfer may kindly be conveyed to the Hon’ble Chief Justice of India and the Collegium Judges for reconsideration.”