NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court expressed deep anguish on Monday over the Centre sitting on the collegium’s recommendations for the transfer of high court chief justices and judges for nearly 10 months, and sought the government’s explanation within two weeks.A bench of Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justice D Y Chandrachud was hearing PILs by Ashiwini Upadhyay and Lt Col Anil Kabotra, who had complained about judicial vacancies in HCs causing delay in dispensation of justice. The proceedings were given a new direction by senior advocates Ram Jethmalani and Yatin Oza, who complained that transfers recommended by the collegium had not been given effect.Oza set the tone by naming a few Gujarat high court judges, and repeatedly told the bench that stalling their transfers gave an indication that if the judge concerned was close to the government, he could even defy the collegium — the highest body for selection of judges that also recommends the transfer of judges and chief justices from one HC to another.Oza said: “I cannot say in public what is going on in the Gujarat HC. It has gone to the dogs.” Jethmalani said if a judge recommended to be transferred by the collegium stays on in an HC, litigants with agrievance against the government would feel uncomfortable arguing before that judge. Attorney general (AG) Mukul Rohatgi said: “Taking names of individual judges by advocates in the open court is not in the highest tradition of the bar.”Objecting to the manner in which the interveners were hijacking the main issue —appointment of judges — the AG told the court that he would find out from the government the factual position regarding the recommendations relating to the transfer of HC judges. Jethmalani said the government had been sitting on the recommendations for several transfers since February last year.“Non-compliance of the recommendation means defiance of the constitutional authority that was created by the Supreme Court through its two judgments to maintain independence of judiciary in appointments and transfers. The executive cannot be allowed to bring down the status of the collegium. The executive needs to be taught a lesson by the judiciary,” he said.The bench told the AG: “What is happening? The government must have some plausible explanation for the delay. The files cannot be allowed to languish on some person’s desk. Jethmalani is right. If a judge is recommended to be transferred by the collegium and the government does not give effect to it, the public could feel he has the mechanism to stop his transfer.”The bench asked the AG for a status report on transfers and the cause for the delay.