The Centre on Friday cleared the appointment of three judicial officers as Andhra Pradesh High Court additional judges, following the recommendation made by the Supreme Court Collegium. The appointments are aimed at strengthening the judicial capacity of the Andhra Pradesh High Court and improving the delivery of justice.
Centre Approves Andhra Pradesh High Court Additional Judges
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.
Supreme Court Collegium Recommended 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.
The appointments follow the constitutional process involving the Supreme Court Collegium, the Chief Justice of India, the Union Ministry of Law and Justice and the President of India.
How High Court Judges Are Appointed in India
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 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, preferably within six weeks.
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 the recommendation to the Union Minister of Law and Justice. Once the President signs the warrant of appointment, the Department of Justice informs the Chief Justice and the appointment is notified in the Gazette of India. This process is designed to ensure judicial independence and constitutional compliance in High Court appointments.
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