Hyderabad/UNI: The central government has appointed Justice P Naveen Rao, the senior-most judge of the Telangana High Court, as the Acting Chief Justice of the High Court on his retirement day, an official source said on Friday.

Justice Rao's appointment comes after the elevation of the incumbent Chief Justice, Ujjal Bhuyan, to the Supreme Court. Upon Justice Rao's retirement on July 14, Justice A K Shavili will assume the responsibilities of the Chief Justice of the High Court.

The Department of Justice website published a notification confirming the appointment.

The notification states, "In exercise of the power conferred by Article 223 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Justice Ponugoti Naveen Rao, senior-most Judge of the Telangana High Court, to perform the duties of the office of the Chief Justice of that High Court, with effect from the date Justice Ujjal Bhuyan relinquishes the charge as Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court upon his appointment as a Judge of the Supreme Court of India.

"Consequent upon the superannuation of Justice Ponugoti Naveen Rao on July 14, 2023, Justice Abhinand Kumar Shavili, the senior-most puisne Judge of the High Court of Telangana, will perform the duties of the office of the Chief Justice of the High Court of Telangana."

Justice Rao obtained his law degree from the University of Delhi after graduating from Nizam College, Hyderabad.

He began his legal career as an advocate in 1986 and was elevated as an Additional Judge at the Andhra Pradesh High Court in 2013. He was subsequently appointed as a permanent judge of the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana High Courts on September 8, 2014.

Similarly, Justice Shavili also graduated from Nizam College and pursued his law degree at the Osmania University Campus Law College. He enrolled as an advocate in 1989 and was elevated to a Judge of the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana High Court on September 21, 2017.