President Draupadi Murmu on Saturday appointed former Supreme Court judge Justice S. Abdul Nazeer as the Governor of Andhra Pradesh.
According to a press release issued by the President’s Secretariat, “The President of India is pleased to appoint former Supreme Court judge Justice S. Abdul Nazeer as the Governor of Andhra Pradesh.”
The release further said that incumbent Governor of Andhra Pradesh, Biswa Bhusan Harichandan, was transferred as the Governor of Chhattisgarh.
Justice Nazeer was elevated to the Supreme Court in February, 2017 from the Karnataka High Court. He retired on January 4 this year.
The former Supreme Court Judge was born on January 5, 1958 and enrolled as an Advocate on February 18, 1983. He practiced before the Karnataka High Court and was appointed as an Additional Judge of the High Court on May 12, 2003.
During his farewell from the Apex Court, Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud had mentioned Justice Nazeer’s simplicity by saying that the judge did not even have a passport till 2019 and first travelled outside the country to Moscow only a few weeks ago.
The CJI said Justice Nazeer was simple to the core. Until recently, his only IDs were driving licence and judges ID.
The passport of Justice Nazeer was made in 2019 and the first stamp on that passport was when he travelled to Moscow in December, 2022, added Justice Chandrachud.
Before Justice Nazeer, there have been two instances of a retired Supreme Court Judge being appointed as Governor of a State.
In 2014, former Chief Justice of India P, Sathasivam was appointed as Governor of Kerala, while former Supreme Court judge Justice Fatima Beevi became the Governor of Tamil Nadu in 1997 and remained on the post till 2001.