SC Collegium Clears Permanent Appointment of 12 Additional Judges in Four HCs

The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended the appointment of 12 additional judges as permanent judges in the high courts of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Uttarakhand and Gauhati.

The Collegium, comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Vikram Nath and B V Nagarathna, approved the proposals at its meeting held on September 23.

For the Andhra Pradesh High Court, the Collegium approved the permanent appointment of five additional judges Justice Maheswara Rao Kuncheam, also referred to as Kuncham, Justice Thoota Chandra Dhana Sekar (T.C.D. Sekhar), Justice Challa Gunaranjan, Justice Avadhanam Hari Haranadha Sarma and Dr Justice Yadavalli Lakshmana Rao.

The Collegium, in its resolution, said it had approved the proposal for their appointment as permanent judges of the high court.

For the Kerala High Court, the Collegium recommended five additional judges for permanent appointment. They are Justices P Krishna Kumar, K V Jayakumar, Muralee Krishna S, Jobin Sebastian and P V Balakrishnan.

The Collegium also approved the proposal concerning Justice Subhash Upadhyay, an additional judge of the Uttarakhand High Court, for appointment as a permanent judge.

In a separate resolution, the Collegium approved the permanent appointment of Justice Kaushik Goswami, an additional judge of the Gauhati High Court.

Additional judges are appointed to high courts for a specified period, while permanent judges hold office subject to the constitutional framework governing the higher judiciary.

The Collegium's recommendations are part of the judicial appointment process and will be processed by the Centre and other constitutional authorities before the appointments are formally notified.