Andhra Pradesh HC starts functioning after swearing-in ceremony

More than four years after its bifurcation to create Telangana, Andhra Pradesh got its own high court here Tuesday. Governor E S L Narasimhan sworn-in Acting Chief Justice C Praveen Kumar and 13 other judges at a function in nearby Vijayawada. President Ram Nath Kovind had last week issued orders for a separate High Court of Andhra Pradesh. Till now, the high court in Hyderabad had been functioning as the common high court for both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

The 13 judges sworn in are Justices S V Bhatt, A V Sesha Sai, M Seetharama Murti, U Durga Prasad Rao, T Sunil Chowdary, M Satyanarayana Murthy, G Shyam Prasad, J Uma Devi, N Balayogi, T Rajani, D V S S Somayajulu, K Vijaya Lakshmi and M Ganga Rao.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu called it a "historic day". "I am very happy legal administration is beginning in the state today. With the inauguration of the high court, the state bifurcation process has come to an end, barring distribution of assets," he said.

As the temporary building to accommodate the high court in the state capital here was not ready yet, the state government converted chief minister's camp office in Vijayawada into ad-hoc court premises. Supreme Court Judge Justice N V Ramana inaugurated the ad-hoc premises in the presence of the chief minister and others. While the temporary building is expected to be ready by the end of January, the actual high court complex will be built in another three years.

(With inputs from agencies.)