Madhya Pradesh, Oct 16 : In a rare public admission, the Supreme Court collegium, led by Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai, revealed on Wednesday that it revised its earlier recommendation regarding the transfer of Justice Atul Sreedharan of the Madhya Pradesh High Court after the government “sought reconsideration.”
Originally, the collegium had proposed transferring Justice Sreedharan to the Chhattisgarh High Court on August 25. In its latest meeting on October 14, 2025, the collegium recommended his transfer to the Allahabad High Court instead. The statement unusually noted that the reconsideration was requested by the government, marking a rare disclosure.
Had Justice Sreedharan moved to Chhattisgarh, he would have become the second most senior judge there, whereas in Allahabad he is expected to be seventh in seniority.
Appointed as a judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court in 2016, Justice Sreedharan previously practiced under senior advocate Gopal Subramanium before relocating his chambers to Indore. In 2023, he voluntarily requested a transfer out of Madhya Pradesh to facilitate his daughter’s legal practice in Indore, moving briefly to the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court before returning to MP in 2025.
During his tenure in Srinagar, he enhanced judicial oversight on preventive detention cases, including quashing several under the Public Safety Act. At the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Justice Sreedharan played a key role in suo motu proceedings after media reports suggested inflammatory remarks by state minister Vijay Shah against an Indian Army officer, ensuring an FIR was registered in response.