On May 15 this year, Justice Gill chose to take up the assignment of Administrative Judge for Ludhiana. Five days later, an application was filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court by his son asking for transfer of the case from Ludhiana.

The son cited the fact that his father was now the Administrative Judge for Ludhiana. According to Justice Jain’s letter, the son didn’t bring the history of the case to the court’s attention. A single-judge bench of the High Court transferred the case to Ferozepur.

In his letter, Justice Jain said Justice Gill chose Ludhiana without disclosing the fact that his son’s property case was pending there.

This was against a resolution passed in full court that a judge should not choose a district where his or his relative’s case is pending.

Incidentally, Justice Gill — who is still administrative judge for Ludhiana — along with two other High Court Judges, was divested of work for two months in 2002 by the then Chief Justice Arun B Saharya for their alleged role in the scandal involving former Punjab Public Service Commission chief Ravi Sidhu.

CJ didn’t ask me: Justice Gill

The Indian Express contacted Justice Gill for his comments on his chief’s transfer recommendation:

• It’s our ancestral land sold off to the Punjab govt in the ‘50s. Dispute is over 10 acres the govt illegally gave to Punjab Agricultural University for producing seeds.

• Five days after I opted for Ludhiana, my son moved an application stating that since I have become the Inspecting Judge of Ludhiana, the case be transferred from Ludhiana.

... contd.