Bhuyan from Bombay for Telangana High Court, M.S. Rao sent to Punjab

HYDERABAD: Following the Supreme Court collegium recommendations, the Union government on Tuesday issued orders transferring Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, presently judge of the Bombay High Court, to the Telangana High Court.

Justice Bhuyan would be the most senior judge of the Telangana High Court, after Justice Satish Chandra whose name was recommended as Chief Justice of Telangana but the appointment order is yet to be issued.

The Centre also transferred Telangana High Court judge M.S. Ramachandra Rao, who is presently the Acting Chief Justice, to the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Justice Rao is the senior-most judge in the Telangana High Court, but he will be the ninth senior judge in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Justice Rao was appointed Acting Chief Justice on August 28, after the then Chief Justice Hima Kohli relinquished charge, upon her elevation to the Supreme Court.

Justice Ujjal Bhuyan’s parent court was the Gauhati High Court. He was transferred to Bombay High Court in 2019. At that time, his transfer led to protests at the Gauhati High Court, on the ground that he would be in the 15th place in seniority list of judges in the Bombay High Court, whereas he was the third senior judge in Gauhati High Court.

Justice Bhuyan obtained his LLB degree from the Government Law College, Guwahati, and LLM from Gauhati University. He enrolled at the bar in 1991 and practiced before the principal seat of the Gauhati High Court and appeared before the Agartala, Shillong, Kohima and Itanagar benches. He also practiced before the Central Administrative Tribunal, Guwahati bench, and the Assam Board of Revenue.

He was standing counsel of the income tax department for 16 years, starting as junior standing counsel in May 1995 before being appointed as senior standing counsel in 2008. He was the additional government advocate, Meghalaya, in the principal seat of the Gauhati High Court from April 2002 to October 2006.

Justice Bhuyan was designated senior advocate in 2010 by the Gauhati High Court and was appointed additional advocate general of Assam on 2011. He was elevated as additional judge of Gauhati High Court on October 17, 2011 and was made permanent judge on March 20, 2013.

Justice M.S. Ramachandra Rao hails from a family of judges. He is the fourth Judge from their family. His grandfather M.S. Ramachandra Rao (senior) was a judge in the Andhra Pradesh High Court in 1960. He died in harness within four months. His brother, Justice M. Krishna Rao, served as the judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court from 1966 to 1973.

Ramachandra Rao Senior's son, and ACJ Rao's father, Justice M. Jagannadha Rao was appointed judge of AP High Court in 1982 and retired as Supreme Court judge in December 2000. He was the chairman of Law Commission of India from 2003 to 2006.

Acting Chief Justice Ramachandra Rao was born on August 7, 1966, in Hyderabad. He studied SSC in St. Pauls High School, Hyderabad, Intermediate in Little Flower College and BSc. (Hons) (Mathematics) in Bhavan’s New Science College, Osmania University. He stood first in the university in BSc.

He passed LLB from the University College of Law, Osmania University, Hyderabad in 1989 and was awarded the C.V.S.S. Acharyulu Gold Medal by Osmania University for securing the highest marks in the final year LL.B. He enrolled as an advocate on November 7, 1989.

Justice Ramachandra Rao secured LLM from University of Cambridge, the UK in 1991. He was awarded the Cambridge Commonwealth Scholarship and the Bank of Credit and Commerce International Scholarship for study of LL.M at Cambridge University.

Justice Ramachandra Rao was also awarded the Pegasus Scholarship by the Pegasus Scholarship Trust. He was elevated as additional judge of the High Court of Andhra Pradesh in 2012. He assumed charge as permanent judge on December 4, 2013.