Hyderabad High Court bifurcation: Centre approves judges’ proposal

HYDERABAD: To expedite the process of bifurcation of the existing common High Court at Hyderabad, the Union Law Ministry has recently approved the options exercised by the sitting judges between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana High Courts. The Supreme Court collegium has already given its nod to these options.

As for the judges transferred from other High Courts to this court, a decision on their allotment to either of the States will be taken after establishment of AP High Court in the new capital Amaravati city or its surroundings. The judges will be posted in AP and Telangana in 58:42 ratio as laid down in the AP State Reorganization Act, 2014.

It is learnt that the AP government is determined to establish the AP High Court by the end of 2018. The government intends to have no issues pending, including High Court’s bifurcation, between AP and Telangana by the next Assembly elections scheduled to take place in 2019.

At present, the Hyderabad High Court has 31 judges, including acting chief justice Ramesh Ranganathan, against the total sanctioned strength of 61. Of them, two, justices V Ramasubramanian and Suresh Kumar Kait, have come on transfer from other High Courts to this court.

Earlier, two judges of this High Court were transferred to other States. Of them, justice R Subhash Reddy is at present the chief justice of the Gujarat High Court and justice Dama Seshadri Naidu is serving as a judge of the Kerala High Court.

Likely allotment of judges to AP and TS HC

AP High Court

Acting CJ Ramesh Ranganathan and justices C Praveen Kumar, SV Bhatti, AV Sesha Sai, A Ramalingeswara Rao, M Seetharama Murti, U Durga Prasad Rao, T Sunil Chowdary, M Satyanarayana Murthy, A Shankar Narayana, G Shyam Prasad, J Uma Devi, N Balayogi, T Rajani, DVSS Somayajulu, K Vijaya Lakshmi and M Ganga Rao.

Telangana HC

Justices CV Nagarjuna Reddy, PV Sanjay Kumar, MS Ramachandra Rao, A Rajasheker Reddy, P Naveen Rao, Challa Kodanda Ram, B Siva Sankara Rao, MSK Jaiswal, Shameem Akther, P Keshava Rao, Abhinand Kumar Shavili and T Amarnath Goud.