The Supreme Court on Friday declined to interfere with the transfer of Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) judicial member Justice Dharam Chand Chaudhary from Chandigarh to the Kolkata bench of the tribunal.
A three-judge bench presided by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, however, sought the Centre’s response on the prayer to divest the tribunal from the control of the Ministry of Defence.
It also wrote twice to Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, terming the transfer as “a direct assault on the independence of judicial functioning” of the AFT. It alleged that Justice Chaudhary was transferred because “he refused to buckle under the pressure of the Ministry of Defence”.
The Bar association alleges the defence ministry’s interference in the transfer of Justice Chaudhary, who had initiated contempt proceedings against a senior Defence Accounts Department officer.