Musical Chairs: The Causes and Effects of Politicized and Frequent Judge Transfers in India
Presented by:
Rikhil Bhavnani
Department of Political Science
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Thursday, April 24, 2025
3:45 pm-5:00 pm
Taylor-Hibbard Seminar Room (Rm103)
In many parts of the world, judges are transferred frequently and based on political considerations. Judge transfers impede the speedy resolution of court cases. We test these propositions using big data from Uttar Pradesh, India’s largest state, and credible research designs. The data confirm that judge transfers are indeed frequent and politicized: they occur once every 10 months, both due to and to ward off against political inference. Transfers make it less likely that cases are decided in a time-bound manner since they increase the chances that cases will be temporarily unassigned to judges and increase the number of hearings required to resolve a case. This paper documents a major, unappreciated cause of judicial delays and demonstrates how seemingly mundane judge staffing decisions are politicized and can have major welfare implications.
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