Today, On 24th October, Union Minister of State for Law, Arjun Ram Meghwal, announced the appointment via his official X handle. The President of India designated Justice Siddaiah Rachaiah as a permanent judge of the Karnataka High Court after consulting with the Chief Justice. Furthermore, the central government has approved the appointment of three lawyers as judges in the Andhra Pradesh High Court.
New Delhi: The Central government approved the appointments of three advocates as judges of the Andhra Pradesh High Court.
Union Minister of State for Law Arjun Ram Meghwal announced the appointments via a tweet on his official X account.
The lawyers appointed as judges are:
- Maheswara Rao Kuncheam (also known as Kuncham)
- Thoota Chandra Dhana Sekar (referred to as TCD Sekhar)
- Challa Gunaranjan
The Supreme Court Collegium recommended these names on October 15.
According to the Collegium’s resolution, the Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, in consultation with the two senior-most judges, had put forward the names of these advocates for appointment on May 15, 2024.
The resolution stated,
“To assess the merit and suitability of these candidates for elevation to the High Court, we have thoroughly reviewed the information provided. We have also considered the comments made by the Department of Justice.”
Regarding Kuncheam and Gunaranjan, the resolution indicated that all four consultee judges had expressed positive opinions about their suitability for the role.
In the case of Sekar, the resolution noted that one of the four consultee judges felt he did not particularly excel and was, at best, a mediocre performer. However, since Sekar belongs to a backward class, the Collegium decided to recommend him for the judgeship based on the overall context.
Currently, the Andhra Pradesh High Court is operating with 26 judges, compared to a sanctioned strength of 37.
Read Also: Central Government Appoints 3 Lawyers as Gujarat High Court Judges
The Central government announced the appointment of Justice Siddaiah Rachaiah as a permanent judge of the Karnataka High Court.
The Supreme Court Collegium had put forth the recommendation for this appointment on October 15.
According to the resolution from the top court’s Collegium, the Karnataka High Court’s Collegium had unanimously endorsed Justice Rachaiah for the position on August 6.
As of October 1, the Karnataka High Court was operating with 50 judges, against a sanctioned strength of 62, leaving a total of 12 vacancies.
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