The Supreme Court Collegium, led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, has recommended the appointment of three advocates as judges of the Andhra Pradesh High Court and four judicial officers for the Kerala High Court. Additionally, Justice Siddaiah Rachaiah of the Karnataka High Court has been recommended for permanent judgeship.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court Collegium, led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, has made crucial recommendations for the appointment of new judges in the Andhra Pradesh and Kerala High Courts. The three-member collegium, which also included Justices Sanjiv Khanna and BR Gavai, met on Tuesday to finalize these decisions, which have now been forwarded to the Centre for approval.
In its resolution, the Supreme Court Collegium recommended the names of three advocates for elevation as judges of the Andhra Pradesh High Court. The October 15 resolution stated,
“The Collegium resolves to recommend that S/Shri (i) Maheswara Rao Kuncheam @ Kuncham, (ii) Thoota Chandra Dhana Sekar @ T C D Sekhar, and (iii) Challa Gunaranjan, advocates, be appointed as Judges of the High Court of Andhra Pradesh.”
These three advocates are currently practicing lawyers in the Andhra Pradesh High Court, and their names were originally proposed for judgeship by the Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court in consultation with the two senior-most judges of the same court on May 15, 2024. The resolution also clarified, “Their inter se seniority be fixed as per the existing practice.”
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This recommendation marks an important step in the effort to strengthen the judicial framework in Andhra Pradesh, addressing the growing demand for judicial appointments in the state.
In a separate resolution, the Supreme Court Collegium also proposed the elevation of four senior judicial officers as judges of the Kerala High Court. The October 15 resolution read,
“The Collegium resolves to recommend that S/Shri (i) K V Jayakumar, (ii) Muralee Krishna S, (iii) Jobin Sebastian, and (iv) P V Balakrishnan, Judicial Officers, be appointed as Judges of the High Court of Kerala.”
This move comes in the context of an earlier recommendation made by the collegium on October 10, 2023, in which five judicial officers, including Shri P Krishna Kumar, were recommended for elevation as judges of the Kerala High Court. However, as of now, only four of the recommended judicial officers have been appointed, and Shri P Krishna Kumar’s status remains pending.
The collegium highlighted this in its latest resolution, stating,
“However, nothing has been intimated by the Government to the Collegium with regard to the status of Shri P Krishna Kumar.”
The resolution also directed that the four newly recommended judicial officers should rank below Shri P Krishna Kumar in the order of appointment and that their “inter se seniority shall be fixed in that order.”
In addition to these recommendations, the Supreme Court Collegium also called on the Centre to confirm Justice Siddaiah Rachaiah, an additional judge of the Karnataka High Court, as a permanent judge. The collegium noted that Justice Rachaiah’s term as an additional judge is set to expire soon, stating,
“The above recommendation may be processed expeditiously as the term of Mr Justice Siddaiah Rachaiah as an additional judge is going to expire on 7 November 2024.”
These recommendations come as part of an ongoing effort by the Supreme Court Collegium to address the vacancy and delays in judicial appointments across India’s High Courts. The collegium’s resolutions, now in the hands of the Centre, emphasize the need for expedited action to avoid disruptions in judicial processes.
The Andhra Pradesh High Court and the Kerala High Court, in particular, have been facing a significant backlog of cases, and the timely appointment of new judges is seen as critical to improving the efficiency of these courts. Furthermore, the conversion of Justice Siddaiah Rachaiah to a permanent judge will help maintain continuity in the Karnataka High Court.
With these recommendations, the Supreme Court Collegium has once again underscored the importance of filling judicial vacancies in a timely manner, ensuring the smooth functioning of India’s judiciary.
The Supreme Court’s recent recommendations for the Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Karnataka High Courts are vital steps toward addressing the growing need for judicial resources in these states. As the Centre processes these appointments, the judiciary looks forward to welcoming these new members and maintaining the efficiency and integrity of the Indian judicial system.
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