New Delhi: Supreme Court judge Justice Ujjal Bhuyan has raised concerns over a recent collegium decision to alter the proposed transfer of a high court judge following a request from the Union government, asserting that the executive has no role in matters of judicial transfers and postings.Speaking at the G.V. Pandit Memorial Lecture on “Constitutional Morality and Democratic Governance” at ILS Law College in Pune, Justice Bhuyan said the collegium’s recording of the fact that the transfer proposal was made at the Union government’s request “reveals a striking intrusion of executive influence into what is constitutionally supposed to be an independent process.” He questioned the implications of such a move without naming any judge directly, Live Law reported.“Why should a judge be transferred from one high court to another high court just because he had passed certain inconvenient orders against the government? Does it not affect the independence of the judiciary?” he asked, warning that such actions strike at a basic feature of the constitution.The remarks relate to an October decision in which the Supreme Court collegium revised its initial proposal to transfer Justice Atul Sreedharan from the Madhya Pradesh high court to the Chhattisgarh high court, instead recommending his transfer to the Allahabad high court, the report mentioned.The collegium resolution noted that the change was made “on reconsideration sought by the government.” At the Chhattisgarh high court, Justice Sreedharan would have become part of the collegium, whereas his seniority would be significantly lower at the Allahabad high court, Live Law noted.Justice Bhuyan reiterated that, “By the very nature of things, the Central government can have no say in the matter of transfer and posting of high court judges. It cannot say that such and such judge should not be transferred or should be transferred. It is within the exclusive domain of the judiciary,” as per Live Law.He added that transfers are meant only for the “better administration of justice” and not as a means to penalise judges.“When the collegium records that the transfer of a high court judge was being made at the request of the Central Government it reveals a striking intrusion of executive influence into what is constitutionally supposed to be an independent process, created to render such process immune from executive and political influence,” Justice Bhuyan was quoted as saying.Emphasising the purpose of the collegium system, Justice Bhuyan said it was created to shield judicial appointments and transfers from executive pressure, cautioning that any deviation undermines its integrity.“Now that the judiciary has repelled the government’s attempt to replace the collegium system, it becomes even more important for the judiciary, more particularly the members of the collegium, to ensure that the collegium continues to function independently,” he added, stressing that its integrity “must be maintained at all costs.”He also warned that threats to judicial independence could come “from within,” urging judges to guard against political or ideological bias. “It will be a sad day for democracy if the outcome of a case becomes predictable merely by knowing which judge or bench is hearing it,” Justice Bhuyan said, underlining that an independent judiciary is “non-negotiable”.