As part of a major reshuffle, approximately 135 trial court judges of the capital city have been transferred by an order of the Delhi High Court on Friday. This includes notable names such as Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai of Karkardooma Court, who was hearing the large conspiracy case related to the 2020 NE Delhi riots, and Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala of the Duma Court, hearing cases of murder, arson, and unlawful assembly linked to the riots. The former has been transferred to Saket Court as an Additional Sessions Judge, and the latter has been transferred to Patiala House Court as a District Judge in a commercial court.
The North-East Delhi riots conspiracy case is still pending for over four years now and is at the stage of framing charges.
Another Special Judge, Niyay Bindu, of the Delhi Rouse Avenue Court has been transferred to the Dwarka Court in the capacity of an Additional Principal Judge (Family Court). In June 2024, she had granted bail to former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in the money laundering case related to the excise policy scam.
Additional Sessions Judge (POCSO) Gomato Manocha of the Patiala House Court has also been transferred to Karkardooma Court as a District Judge, while Additional Sessions Judge Manisha Khurana Kakkar of Saket Court has been transferred to Rouse Avenue Court as a Special Judge. Kakkar was hearing the trial against Aftab Poonawalla, who was arrested for allegedly killing his live-in partner, Shraddha, in 2022. Poonawalla later chopped Shraddha’s body into pieces and stored it in the fridge.
Special Judge Amitabh Rawat of Rouse Avenue Court has been transferred to the Delhi High Court in the capacity of Joint Registrar (Judicial). He was earlier hearing a large conspiracy case linked to the Delhi riots.
According to the data last updated in January, there are a total of 800 judges in the capital city.
