Centre notifies transfer of seven High Court judges across five High Courts

The Department of Justice notified the transfer of seven sitting High Court judges on 8 May 2026, following the Supreme Court collegium's recommendations of 18 April 2026.

The Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice, on 8 May 2026 notified the transfer of seven sitting High Court judges. The notification follows the recommendations of the Supreme Court collegium dated 18 April 2026 and is the second tranche of inter-High-Court transfers in 2026.

The transfers cut across five High Courts — Bombay, Calcutta, Madras, Telangana, and Punjab and Haryana — with each High Court being affected as either origin or destination, in some cases both.

The judges and the destinations

Justice Deepak V. Mahajan has been transferred from the Bombay High Court to the Calcutta High Court. Justice Rohini Krishnan has been transferred from the Madras High Court to the Bombay High Court. Justice Anjali Vasudev has been transferred from the Telangana High Court to the Madras High Court. Justice K. Suresh Babu has been transferred from the Calcutta High Court to the Telangana High Court.

The remaining three transfers concern the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Justice Ravinder Sangwan has been transferred from Punjab and Haryana to the Bombay High Court. Justice Surinder Pal Singh has been transferred from the Madras High Court to Punjab and Haryana. Justice Asha Menon has been transferred from Punjab and Haryana to the Calcutta High Court.

Court strength impact

The Bombay High Court, currently operating at a working strength of 71 against a sanctioned strength of 94, will see a net addition of one judge after the transfers take effect. Calcutta will see a net addition of one. Madras will see a net loss of one. Telangana will be at parity. Punjab and Haryana will see a net loss of one.

The Supreme Court collegium's resolution of 18 April 2026 cited “administrative considerations” and “the need to balance regional representation” as the basis for the recommendations. The notification does not record reasons separately; the Centre's role at the transfer stage is limited to giving effect to the collegium's recommendations.

Each judge will assume office at the destination High Court on a date to be notified separately. In the standard practice, the Chief Justice of the destination court administers the oath of office within two to three weeks of the central notification. The seven judges are presently disposing of pending matters at their respective courts; cases part-heard before them will, in accordance with the High Courts' established practice, be released for assignment to other benches.

This is the second tranche of inter-High-Court transfers in 2026. The first, in February, transferred five judges across four High Courts. A third tranche is reportedly in the collegium's pipeline; the resolution will be public when notified.