Center approves appointment of three additional judges in Andhra Pradesh High Court!

The Central Government on Friday approved the appointment of three judicial officers as additional judges of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, following the recommendation of the Supreme Court Collegium. Minister of State for Law and Justice (Independent Charge) Arjun Ram Meghwal also made a post on the social media platform ‘X’.

He said in his post 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 Sunita Gandham, Alapati Giridhar and Purushottam Kumar Chintalapudi as Additional Judges of the Andhra Pradesh High Court.

Giving the names of the three judicial officers in his post on ‘X’, Meghwal said, “In exercise of the powers conferred by the Constitution of India and in consultation with the Chief Justice of India, the President is pleased to appoint these judicial officers as Additional Judges of the Andhra Pradesh High Court.”

The Supreme Court Collegium, in its meeting held on May 4, had approved the proposal to appoint these three judicial officers as judges of the Andhra Pradesh High Court.

“The judicial officers who have approved the proposal for appointment as judges of the Andhra Pradesh High Court by the Supreme Court Collegium in its meeting held on May 4, 2026 are Sunita Gandham, Alapati Giridhar, and Purushottam Kumar Chintalapudi (Ch. Purushottam Kumar),” the collegium had said in a statement.

According to the Memorandum of Procedure (MOP) relating to the appointment of High Court judges, the proposal for appointment is initiated by the Chief Justice of the concerned High Court. If the Chief Minister wants to recommend a name, it should be sent to the Chief Justice for consideration.

Based on the advice of the Chief Minister, the Governor sends his recommendation and related documents to the Union Minister of Law and Justice within six weeks of receiving the proposal.

Thereafter, the Central Government conducts a detailed review of the information and background related to the proposal before sending it to the Chief Justice of India (CJI). The Chief Justice consults with the two most senior judges (collegium) of the Supreme Court before finalizing this recommendation.

After this deliberation, the Chief Justice usually sends his final recommendation to the Union Minister of Law and Justice within four weeks. After the appointment warrant is signed by the President, the Secretary of the Justice Department communicates it to the Chief Justice and a copy of it is also sent to the Chief Minister. Ultimately, the official notification of this appointment is published in the Gazette of India.