Delhi Riot: High Court Judge Transferred Over Criticizing Cops

The Delhi High Court Judge Justice S Muralidhar whogrilled the Centre, Delhi Police and the state government on Wednesday over theDelhi violence has been transferred to the Punjab and Haryana Court.

The notification on the transfer of JusticeMuralidhar was issued at around 11 PM on Wednesday by the Centre, about twoweeks after it was recommended by the Supreme Court collegiums on February 12.

The government notification issued to Muralidhar read as, "In exercise of the power conferred by clause (1) of Article 222 of the Constitution of India, the President, after consultation with the Chief Justice of India, is pleased to transfer Shri Justice S Muralidhar, Judge of the Delhi High Court, as a Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and to direct him to assume charge of his office in the Punjab and Haryana High Court."

However, the notification has not given anytime-frame for when he should join the Punjab and Haryana High Court which usuallygive 14-days time to join the new court.

Hearing the case of Delhi violence which killed more than 30 people leaving 200 others injured, Justice Muralidhar on Wednesday said, "We cannot let another 1984-like event happen in this country" and asked the government – at the center and in Delhi – to work together to combat unrelenting violence that hit parts of the national capital for a fourth consecutive day.

The comment came in a tense hearing during which videos of hate speeches by four BJP leaders – Kapil Mishra, Anurag Thakur, Abhay Verma, and Parvesh Verma – were played. The hearing was on a petition seeking First Information Reports (FIRs) against those who incited and participated in the violence in northeast Delhi.

The judge asked told the Delhi Police chief to"seriously consider the consequences" of not registering the FIRagainst the BJP leaders.