New Delhi, May 5 (IANS) The Supreme Court Collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, has recommended the appointment of advocates and judicial officers as judges in the High Courts of Punjab and Haryana, and Andhra Pradesh.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the apex court Collegium said that in its meeting held on May 4, it approved the proposal for the appointment of three advocates — Pravindra Singh Chauhan, Rajesh Gaur, and Minderjeet Yadav — as judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

“The Supreme Court Collegium in its meeting held on 4th May, 2026, has approved the proposal for appointment of the following Advocates as Judges of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana: (i) Shri Pravindra Singh Chauhan, (ii) Shri Rajesh Gaur, and (iii) Shri Minderjeet Yadav,” the statement said.

In a separate statement, the Collegium also approved the appointment of seven more advocates as judges of the P&H High Court.

These include Monica Chhibber Sharma, Harmeet Singh Deol, Puja Chopra, Sunish Bindlish, Navdeep Singh, Divya Sharma, and Ravinder Malik.

“The Supreme Court Collegium in its meeting held on 4th May, 2026, has approved the proposal for appointment of the following Advocates as Judges of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana: (i) Ms. Monica Chhibber Sharma, (ii) Shri Harmeet Singh Deol, (iii) Ms. Puja Chopra, (iv) Shri Sunish Bindlish, (v) Shri Navdeep Singh, (vi) Ms. Divya Sharma, and (vii) Shri Ravinder Malik,” it added.

Further, the Collegium approved the proposal for the appointment of three judicial officers — Sunitha Gandham, Alapati Giridhar, and Purushottam Kumar Chintalapudi (also known as Ch. Purushottama Kumar) — 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 statement said.

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 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 as early as possible and preferably within six weeks from receipt of the proposal.

The proposal is then examined by the Centre along with relevant background inputs before being sent to the CJI, who consults the two senior-most judges of the Supreme Court before finalising the recommendation.

Following these consultations, the CJI forwards his recommendation to the Union Minister of Law and Justice, ordinarily within four weeks. Once the warrant of appointment is signed by the President, the Secretary of the Department of Justice informs the Chief Justice, with a copy to the Chief Minister, and the appointment is subsequently notified in the Gazette of India.

–IANS

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