In Brief
The Supreme Court decided the bifurcation of the lower judiciary following creation of Telangana State by the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014. The Telangana Judges Association challenged the recruitment and allocation process for Judicial Officers between the two States. The Court held that the High Court, exercising constitutional control over the subordinate judiciary under Article 235, was competent to formulate allocation guidelines. The Court approved the High Court's modified guidelines prioritising: (1) officers who opted and are senior; (2) officers who opted for States where their declared district falls; and (3) reverse seniority for remaining posts. The Court rejected reliance on nativity as the sole criterion and held that Article 371D does not apply to Judicial Services. Finding that all Telangana-region Judicial Officers who opted for Telangana were allocated there, the Court disposed of the writ petition approving the guidelines, and dismissed civil appeals arising from the High Court's judgment as infructuous.</summary_100> </invoke>
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.