Justice Patel's resignation accepted by President

Justice Jayant Patel’s resignation as Karnataka High Court judge has been accepted by the President’s office. He has last week put in his papers, apparently miffed over his transfer to the Allahabad High Court just days before he was to be elevated to the high court as chief justice.

The resignation by Justice Patel, who had earlier ordered CBI probe into the Ishrat Jahan encounter case as a judge of the Gujarat High Court, has drawn strong reactions from various quarters with some questioning the decision by the Supreme Court’s Collegium-led by Chief Justice of India.

Gujarat lawyers had boycotted works and expressed their resolve to challenge the Collegium decision. NGO Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms (CJAR) has termed the decision unfortunate, contending his non-elevation as chief justice of Karnataka HC, indicated how clearly he was victimised for his courage and commitment to take on cases that went against the political establishment.