HYDERABAD: The legal fraternity here expressed happiness at the elevation of Justice P.V. Sanjay Kumar as judge of the Supreme Court on Saturday. Laywers recalled that Justice Kumar was a man of many virtues and was always down to earth.
Justice Puligoru Venkata Sanjay Kumar was born on August 14, 1963 at Hyderabad, did his schooling in St Paul’s School at Himayatnagar and graduated in commerce from Nizam College. Thereafter, he secured a law degree from Delhi University in 1988 and enrolled as a member of the Bar Council of undivided Andhra Pradesh in August 1988.
He had served as a government pleader in the undivided Andhra Pradesh High Court from 2000-03 and was elevated as judge of the AP High Court in 2008. He was made a permanent High Court judge in 2010. Following bifurcation, Justice Kumar served as a judge of the Telangana High Court.
In October 2019, he was transferred to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, and later to the Manipur High Court as Chief Justice. His father, late P. Ramachandra Reddy, was a former Advocate General of Andhra Pradesh from 1969 to 1982.
Reacting to the announcement, N. Sridhar Reddy, senior advocate and former government pleader, told Deccan Chronicle, “The day has come when the flag of the Telangana High Court will fly high at the Supreme Court. He is well versed in all branches of law and deserved it.”
Sridhar Reddy said that Justice Kumar had won the respect of and accolades from the legal fraternity for his courteous behaviour and conscientious work as a judge in the Telangana High Court. Justice Kumar maintained cordial relations with the Bar and advocates, he said.
“That affection for him gave rise to the unprecedented protests by the bar associations of Telangana and AP, opposing his transfer when he was senior-most judge, to the Punjab and Haryana High Court where he would be 13th in seniority. It is to be recalled that during his farewell day at the Telangana High Court, Justice Sanjay Kumar had said that he would hold the Telangana High Court flag wherever he worked. Now that the day has come,” Sridhar Reddy said.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, S. Sreedhar, practising advocate of the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh High Courts, said he felt very happy on coming to know about the elevation of Justice Sanjay Kumar to the Supreme Court. “I have known him from his days as a practicing lawyer. What I observed about him was his dedication to his profession and his upright approach,” Sreedhar said.
“Even after his elevation as a judge of the High Court he maintained the same attitude. He was very strict in court etiquette and always used to urge counsel to maintain decorum at any cost. He never showed any parity between seniors and juniors. He used to receive both of them equally,” Sreedhar said, adding, “The legal fraternity of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh feel proud upon his elevation as judge of the Supreme Court.”
