Who is Justice Vijaya Kamlesh Tahilramani and why did she resign over her transfer to Meghalaya HC?

Justice Tahilramani holds a BA (Hons) from Jai Hind College, Churchgate, Mumbai, LLB from the Government Law College, Mumbai and an LLM from the University of Bombay
VIJAYA KAMLESH TAHILRAMANI (Pic: Google)
VIJAYA KAMLESH TAHILRAMANI (Pic: Google)

Madras High Court Chief Justice Vijaya Kamlesh Tahilramani has resigned from the post after the Supreme Court Collegium declined her request to reconsider her transfer to Meghalaya.

She has tendered her resignation to President Ram Nath Kovind and sent a copy of it to Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi on Friday night, official sources said. The collegium, headed by Chief Justice Gogoi, had recommended transfer of Justice Tahilramani, who was elevated as the Madras High Court's Chief Justice on 8 August last year, to the Meghalaya High Court.

Justice Vijaya Kamlesh Tahilramani is the senior-most High Court judge in the country has decided to quit after the Supreme Court Collegium (comprising top five judges) transferred her from the chartered High Court to a relatively small High Court of Meghalaya. In 1982, V. K. Tahilramani joined the Bar. She has served as a Government Pleader and Public Prosecutor for Maharashtra. She became Acting Chief Justice of Bombay High Court on 5 December 2017 and then the Chief Justice of MHC.

Justice Tahilramani holds a BA (Hons) from Jai Hind College, Churchgate, Mumbai, LLB from the Government Law College, Mumbai and an LLM from the University of Bombay.

After enrolment with the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa on July 17, 1982, she joined the Chamber of her late father LV Kapse, renowned Advocate. She then started independent practice in the High Court of Bombay and also City Civil and Sessions Court, Mumbai. She worked as a part-time Professor for Law of Crimes in KC Law College, Churchgate from 1987 to 1993. She was appointed the Assistant Government Pleader & Additional Public Prosecutor in High Court at Bombay in February 1990.

Appeared before High Court and argued a number of confirmation cases and also appeared in sensational criminal appeals, bail applications under MCOC Act, matters under various provisions of the law, such as Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure, Prevention of Corruption Act, NDPS. Act, Bombay Police Act, Public Amusement Rules, Parole, Furlough, Remission, Suppression of Unlawful Act against the safety of Civil Aviation Act, Wildlife Protection Act, Negotiable Instruments Act, Maharashtra Protection of Investors' Deposit Act etc. Justice Tahilramani also appeared in Detention matters under COFEPOSA Act, N.S.A. Act, PITNDPS Act, and Maharashtra Prevention of Dangerous Activities of Slumlords, Bootleggers, Drug Offenders and Dangerous Persons Act (MPDA), 1981. She has served as the as Judge of the Bombay High Court, Executive Chairperson of the Maharashtra Legal Services Authority and the Acting Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court before she came to Chennai.

She made her decision to resign public on Friday night at a dinner hosted by six Madras High Court judges who were made permanent recently. The collegium had recommended her transfer on August 28, after which she had made a representation requesting it to reconsider the proposal.

Thanking the judges for their cooperation ever since she took over as the Chief Justice on August 12 last year, Justice Tahilramani told them that she had discharged her duty without any fear or favour right from the time she assumed office as a judge of the Bombay High Court in June 2001.

Though she was due to retire from service on October two, 2020, the sudden transfer to a much smaller High Court has upset her, she said at the dinner meeting. Refusing to accede her request for reconsideration of the transfer, the Supreme Court said "the Collegium has carefully gone through the representation and taken into consideration all relevant factors.''

''On reconsideration, the Collegium is of the considered view that it is not possible to accede to her request. The Collegium, accordingly, reiterates its recommendation dated August 28 for transfer of Ms Justice Tahilramani to Meghalaya High Court," it added.

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