VIJAYAWADA: The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended the elevation of four advocates as judges of the High Court of Andhra Pradesh. In a statement, the Collegium said the Chief Justice of the High Court of Andhra Pradesh in consultation with two of his senior-most colleagues recommended the elevation of Harinath Nunepally, Kiranmayee Mandava, Sumathi Jagadam and Nyapathy Vijay on February 22 this year. The Chief Minister and the Governor also concurred with the recommendation.
The Collegium had consulted with its colleagues conversant with the affairs of the High Court of Andhra Pradesh to ascertain the fitness and suitability of the advocates before recommending their elevation. The material placed on record, including the observations made by the Department of Justice in the file, as well as the complaints received against the candidates were also scrutinised and evaluated. It said all the consultee-judges unanimously opined that Harinath Nunepally and Kiranmayee Mandava were fit and suitable for appointment as judges of the High Court.
All the consultee judges concurred that Sumathi Jagadam was also suitable for the elevation. “Though there are certain adverse inputs placed on the file, the Collegium has duly borne in mind the assessment of the Government of India. The candidate is a woman belonging to the Scheduled Caste category. Bearing in mind all the relevant facts and circumstances, the Collegium finds the candidate suitable for appointment as a judge of the High Court,” it read.
While four of the five consultee-judges opined that Nyapathy Vijay was fit and suitable for appointment as a judge of the High Court, another consultee-judge, Justice JK Maheshwari, did not submit any views on his suitability.