“The President, after consultation with the Chief Justice of India, is pleased to transfer Justice Pramath Patnaik, Judge of the Jharkhand High Court, as a Judge of the Orissa High Court,” the notification read.
Further, Justice Patnaik has been directed to assume charge of his office in the Orissa High Court on or before February 13.
The Collegium of Supreme Court of India comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice A.K. Sikri, Justice S.A. Bobde, Justice N.V. Ramana and Justice Arun Mishra, had accepted the re-transfer request of Justice Pramath Patnaik to the Orissa High Court.
Justice Patnaik was transferred to the Jharkhand High Court and had been serving as a judge there since December 2014. Nearly four years later, in November 2018, a representation was made by Justice Patnaik before the Supreme Court Collegium requesting a re-transfer back to his parent high court.
Acceding to his request, the Collegium has resolved to recommend Justice Patnaik’s repatriation to Orissa High Court “in the interest of better administration of justice.”
Prasanta Patnaik