Centre clears appointment of three additional judges to Andhra Pradesh HC
New Delhi, July 3
The Centre on Friday cleared the appointment of three judicial officers as Additional Judges of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, following the recommendation made by the Supreme Court Collegium.
Announcing the decision in a post on X, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal said that, in exercise of the powers conferred by the Constitution of India and in consultation with the Chief Justice of India, the President has appointed Sunitha Gandham, Alapati Giridhar, and Purushottam Kumar Chintalapudi as Additional Judges of the Andhra Pradesh High Court.
"In exercise of the powers conferred by the Constitution of India, in consultation with Chief Justice of India, the President is pleased to appoint the following Judicial Officers as Additional Judges of the Andhra Pradesh High Court," Meghwal said in his post on X, naming the three judicial officers.
The Supreme Court Collegium, in its meeting held on May 4, had approved the proposal for the appointment of the three judicial officers as judges of the Andhra Pradesh High Court.
"The Supreme Court Collegium, in its meeting held on 4th May, 2026, has approved the proposal for appointment of the following Judicial Officers as Judges of the High Court of Andhra Pradesh: (i) Smt. Sunitha Gandham, (ii) Shri Alapati Giridhar, and (iii) Shri Purushottam Kumar Chintalapudi @ Ch. Purushottama Kumar," the Collegium had said in a statement.
As per the memorandum of procedure (MoP) governing the appointment of High Court judges, the proposal for appointment is initiated by the Chief Justice of the High Court concerned. If the Chief Minister wishes to recommend any name, it must be forwarded to the Chief Justice for consideration. The Governor, acting on the advice of the Chief Minister, forwards the recommendation along with the complete set of papers to the Union Minister of Law and Justice as early as possible and preferably within six weeks from receipt of the proposal.
The proposal is then examined by the Centre along with relevant background inputs before being sent to the Chief Justice of India (CJI), who consults the two senior-most judges of the Supreme Court before finalising the recommendation.
Following these consultations, the CJI forwards his recommendation to the Union Minister of Law and Justice, ordinarily within four weeks. Once the warrant of appointment is signed by the President, the Secretary of the Department of Justice informs the Chief Justice, with a copy to the Chief Minister, and the appointment is subsequently notified in the Gazette of India.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Finally some appointments! And looking at the names, we have diversity and representation which is good. But why does the Memorandum of Procedure involve so many layers: Chief Justice, Governor, Chief Minister, Union Minister, Supreme Court Collegium? We need faster justice delivery, and that starts with quicker appointments. Arre, judges ki kami hai har court mein, kya karein? 😤
Appointing judicial officers as High Court judges is a good sign—it shows recognition of experience from the lower judiciary. But I wish the government would also fill the vacant positions in all High Courts. Andhra alone must have a pending case count in the lakhs. Let's hope these three work efficiently and with integrity.
Minor observation: The article says the meeting was on May 4, 2026—but we're in 2025. Typo aside, the process is transparent. But I feel the Governor's role should be limited; it creates unnecessary politics. Judges should be selected purely on merit and integrity, not political influence. Hope these three serve with true justice. 🙏
Classic Indian bureaucratic process—too many layers, too slow. The article details all the steps from Chief Justice to Governor to Union Minister to CJI and back. Result? Months of delays. Meanwhile, litigants suffer. Justice delayed is justice denied. We need to streamline this MoP, not add more steps. But congratulations to the three new judges! 🎉
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