Outgoing Madhya Pradesh judge Duppala Venkata Ramana said at his farewell function on Tuesday that his transfer to the Madhya Pradesh High Court was issued with “ill intention to harass” him, and that he was “subjected to conspiratorial scrutiny” because of which his family suffered in silence.
The Supreme Court collegium proposed transferring Justice Ramana of the High Court of Andhra Pradesh to the High Court of Madhya Pradesh in August 2023.
He requested his transfer proposal be reconsidered and sought a transfer to the High Court of Karnataka instead. The collegium did not find merit in his request and resolved to reiterate its recommendation to transfer him to the High Court of Madhya Pradesh as a permanent judge.
Ramana, who retired from the Indore bench of the MP High Court, said on Tuesday, “I was transferred from Andhra Pradesh High Court to Madhya Pradesh High Court without any reason. I was asked for options. I opted for the state of Karnataka so that my wife gets better treatment… but it was not considered by the Honourable Supreme Court.”
Justice Ramana said that he sought the transfer on the ground of his wife’s medical condition, since she suffered from paroxysmal non-epileptic seizures and infirmity in the brain due to the Covid pandemic. “But the representation was neither considered nor rejected during the tenure of the then Chief Justices. I sent another representation; that too was neither rejected nor considered. I received no response. A judge like me expects positive humanitarian consideration. I was disheartened and deeply pained… my transfer order seems to have been issued with ill intention to harass me,” he said, adding, “God does not forget nor forgive so easily.”
“They will also suffer in other mode. A position will not be continued for everyone. However, as fortune would have it, the bane turned into a boon for me because I received immeasurable love, support, and cooperation from my brother judges as well as members of the Bar at Jabalpur and Indore,” he said.
Justice Ramana said that the “transfers were expected to rattle me, but they did not”.
“I did the opposite. I have made lasting contributions in each of the two states – Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. I had an opportunity to serve in the land of Amravati, Krishna, Godavari, and Narmada. I have truly served justice. I am blessed for these opportunities,” he said.
“Through these ordinary everyday experiences, I have faced many challenges in my life and realised that, except for hard work, there are no shortcuts to success. The journey of struggle and bitter experiences in my career helped me diversify my activities. From the day I joined the judicial service till I reached this position in the judiciary, I was subjected to conspiratorial scrutiny. My family and I suffered in silence, but ultimately, the truth will always prevail,” he said.
Quoting Martin Luther King Jr’s line that “the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy,” Justice Ramana said, “Everything that I could achieve was only after facing a lot of struggle, setbacks, and hardships in life.”
“I have embraced all the challenges that came my way and strengthened myself, and understood that every failure carried within it a seed of equivalent advantage. I never claimed myself to be a scholarly judge or a great judge, but I have always believed that the ultimate purpose of the justice delivery system is to provide justice to the common man,” Justice Ramana said.
