On Tuesday, the Supreme Court Collegium put forward the names of three advocates for consideration in their appointment as judges of the Andhra Pradesh High Court.

The lawyers who have been recommended are:

- Maheswara Rao Kuncheam @ Kuncham;

- Thoota Chandra Dhana Sekar @ TCD Sekhar;

- Challa Gunaranjan.

According to the resolution, on May 15, 2024, the Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, after consulting with the two senior-most colleagues, recommended the aforementioned advocates for appointment as judges of the High Court.

"For the purpose of assessing the merit and suitability of the above candidates for elevation to the High Court, we have scrutinized and evaluated the material placed on record. We have also perused the observations made by the Department of Justice in the file," the resolution passed by the Supreme Court Collegium stated.

The Collegium deemed all three advocates suitable for appointment as judges and made the corresponding recommendations.

Regarding advocates Kuncheam and Gunaranjan, the resolution indicated that all four consultee judges provided positive feedback on their suitability for appointment.

In the case of advocate Sekar, the resolution noted that one of the four consultee judges expressed the view that Sekar did not particularly stand out and was, at best, mediocre in terms of performance. However, the Collegium also acknowledged that Sekar belongs to a backward class, and after considering the overall facts and circumstances, it recommended him for appointment as a judge of the High Court.

Currently, the Andhra Pradesh High Court operates with 26 judges, while the sanctioned strength is 37.