The former Chief Justice of the State is to now head the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) as the state government cleared the decision on Tuesday at Hyderabad. He was the chief justice of the AP High Court till his retirement in October this year.

The much bigger surprise is that Justice Kakru's name was unanimously approved by the high-level selection panel which constituted both the Chief Minister, N Kiran Kumar Reddy  and the leader of opposition N Chandrababu Naidu, among others. The formal order of appointment, for tenure of five years, shall be issued shortly.

The appointment comes at the right time when the state is reeling under the bifurcation protests. His presence at the SHRC could add value to the present scenario. But speculations are doing the rounds about his appointment to head the SHRC. The appointment could be a reward to his tough stands on various issues like the one in which he had passed crucial judgments including ordering a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into Kadapa MP Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s assets and the Emaar project.

One such media report suggests a speculation in political and legal circles that Justice Kakru was recommended by Gulam Nabi Azad, AICC General Secretary in charge of AP affairs. A head to the HRC should be well acquainted to the local stakes on all grounds but Justice Kakru spent most of his service at Jammu and Kashmir, so how far he would fare, is a million dollar question.

What so ever is the reason, Justice Kakru, as the speaker said, is a man of integrity. And ofcourse his stint at the state has always been lucky for him, so with this, we hope one day he shall head the National committee too. Good Luck Sir.