VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh government on Friday appointed retired judge Justice Kanagaraj as the new State Election Commissioner (SEC). Following his appointment, Justice Kanagaraj formally assumed charge as SEC here on Saturday morning. An ordinance issued by the Andhra Pradesh government pertaining to Justice Kanagaraj’s appointment was ratified by Governor Biswabhushan Harichandan on Friday. Upon assuming the responsibility in his new position, Justice Kanagaraj called on the governor as part of a courtesy visit.

A native of Tamil Nadu, Kanagaraj discharged duties as a judge of Madras High Court for close to a decade. He began his career as a practising advocate in 1973 and was eventually elevated to the position of Madras High Court in 1997. As a judge of the high court, Justice Kanagaraj earned the reputation of having delivered several landmark judgments. In all, he is believed to have a staggering 69,000 judgments to his credit as a judge.

Since his retirement as the Madras High Court judge, he has been practising as a senior advocate in Supreme Court.

The Andhra Pradesh government appointed Justice Kanagaraj as a successor to Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar, whose tenure as the SEC has ended. The state government’s move is being hailed as yet another positive deviation as part of its reforms programme in governance. This is the first time a retired judge of a high court has been appointed as the state election commissioner as against the tradition of anointing retired bureaucrats, more specifically IAS officers. The move assumes significance in the wake of the previous SEC courting controversy with his alleged unilateral decision to postpone the local body elections without consulting the state government. His decision to also suspend the state government’s welfare schemes citing the ‘model code of conduct’ drew flak, sparking premonitions of ‘political influence over the institution of the SEC’.

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