Bangalore lawyers ask CJI Lodha to clear allegations surrounding Karnataka High Court’s Justice KL Manjunath

Even as the debate over the National Judicial Appointments Commission rages on, lawyers in Bangalore have sought clarity on the transfer of a High Court judge. Senior lawyers in Bangalore have recently written to Chief Justice of India, RM Lodha, seeking clarity on the proposed transfer of a sitting judge of the Karnataka High Court, Justice KL Manjunath..Justice Manjunath has found himself in the very center of the storm, days after it news reports stated that there was a tussle between the collegium and the central government regarding his transfer..In fact, a writ petition was even filed before the Supreme Court challenging this move; a Bench headed by Chief Justice Lodha dismissed the petition. Even while dismissing the petition though, little was done to clear the confusion surrounding Justice Manjunath. While claiming that the collegium had made no such recommendation, CJI Lodha said that,.“Who told you that the Collegium has made such a recommendation? You believe all media reports and file a petition in the Supreme Court. I am the Chief Justice of India. I don’t know if there is any other Chief Justice. We have not recommended Justice Manjunath’s elevation. The entire matter is founded on an erroneous premise.”.Lodha also said that there appeared to be a concerted effort to defame the judiciary, a statement that is significant since the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill was passed a few days later with little public opposition..What further complicates matters is the statements made by former Law Minister Shanti Bhushan, who recently said that Justice Manjunath was “unfit” to hold the office of a High Court Chief Justice. Bhushan also said that there was someone who was, “pressing [Manjunath’s] name in the collegium”..With lawyer associations now pushing for clarity on the allegations against the High Court judge, this could well be the perfect opportunity for CJI Lodha and his collegium to state their views and put the matter to rest.