Gujarat HC lawyers continue to abstain from work over judge’s transfer proposal

The association decided to abstain from work at its extraordinary general body meeting on Tuesday afternoon

Published on: Aug 30, 2025, 12:56:04 IST

By Maulik Pathak

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Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court Advocates’ Association (GHCAA) continued to abstain from work on Saturday to protest the proposed transfer of justice Sandeep N. Bhatt from the Gujarat high court to Madhya Pradesh.

The association had also formed a committee to make a representation to the Supreme Court, requesting that it rescind the proposal. (Photo:Gujarat HC website)

The association decided to abstain from work at its extraordinary general body meeting on Tuesday afternoon, following the Supreme Court collegium’s recommendation to transfer 14 high court judges including justice Bhatt.

The association also formed a committee to make a representation to the Supreme Court, requesting that it rescind the proposal.

Lawyer BM Mangukiya said a delegation of the association met Chief Justice of India BR Gavai on Thursday in this connection but there was no immediate outcome.

“We apprised (CJI) of the fact that we do not know the reason why the reason why an upright, honest and no-nonsense judge has been transferred. The collegium functions transparently; therefore we do have a right to know why the judge has been transferred. We also apprised the chief justice that we have serious apprehension that the correct facts are not being placed before the collegium,” Mangukiya, who was part of the committee, said.

Mangukiya said the four-day strike by lawyers at the high court was the longest in decades; the last one in 1983 lasted six weeks. “After that, there hasn’t been any strike,” he said.

GHCAA president Brijesh Trivedi said they were heard “very patiently” and asked to submit additional copies of their representation. “The delegation was assured that the Chief Justice of India and the collegium members would review their comprehensive submission,” Trivedi said.

For now, Trivedi said the association would continue to abstain from work.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Maulik Pathak
He is an Ahmedabad-based journalist with more than two decades of experience. His career spans business journalism and general news, with reporting across politics, crime, governance, public policy, business, industry, infrastructure, energy, ports, aviation, the environment, wildlife and social issues. He began his career in feature writing before moving into business journalism, reporting on companies and sectors including energy, infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, automobiles and real estate. Over the years, his work expanded to politics, courts, crime, public policy, civic affairs, the environment and wildlife. His reporting has taken him from government offices and courtrooms to factory floors, ports, forests and remote villages, covering stories that range from industrial investments and financial markets to elections, conservation and issues affecting everyday life. While many assignments demand the pace of the daily news cycle, others require sustained reporting over months and years to follow developments beyond the headlines. He started his journalism career with the Asian Age in Ahmedabad in 2002 as a feature writer and sub-editor. Since 2022, he has been working with Hindustan Times. Earlier, he worked with Business Standard, DNA, The Economic Times, Mint and The Times of India. His longest stint was with Mint, where he spent more than eight years reporting across multiple beats. During his career, he has worked in both reporting and editing roles, contributing to page planning, local editions and special editorial projects as newsrooms evolved from print-first operations to digital publishing. Early in his career, he also worked on media and documentary projects with an NGO and as a copywriter at a communications agency before returning to journalism. Away from work, he sometimes makes time for a pair of binoculars, table tennis, cinema and the occasional poem.Read More

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