CHANDIGARH, Aug 4 — Ten District and Sessions Judges from Punjab and Haryana were sworn in on Monday as Additional Judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, raising the court’s working strength to 59 against a sanctioned capacity of 85.
Administered by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu during a formal ceremony held in the High Court auditorium, the appointments mark a significant step in the ongoing institutional effort to address a backlog of 4,33,720 pending cases.
Those elevated to the Bench are: Virinder Aggarwal, Mandeep Pannu, Amarinder Singh Grewal, Parmod Goyal, Rupinderjit Chahal, Shalini Singh Nagpal, Subhas Mehla, Surya Partap Singh, Aaradhna Sawhney, and Yashvir Singh Rathor.
The event was attended by sitting and retired judges, senior government officials, legal professionals, and family members of the newly appointed judges.
“This is a vital step toward strengthening judicial capacity and accelerating case disposal,” said a senior official present at the event. The appointments are expected to bring much-needed momentum to judicial proceedings, particularly as the High Court continues its efforts to clear a backlog that has built up over decades.
The elevation of serving judicial officers also underscores a broader expectation that names from the Bar may soon be recommended for appointment, potentially enhancing diversity and representation on the Bench.
Despite persistent calls for urgency, the judicial appointment process remains slow and layered—beginning with recommendations from state governments, followed by approvals from governors, clearance by the Supreme Court collegium, and final consent from the Union Ministry of Law and Justice.
This procedural complexity has often delayed efforts to fill vacancies, even as judicial work continues to mount. Monday’s swearing-in offers some relief to a system under pressure, but the gap between sanctioned and working strength remains significant.
Legal observers view these appointments as a necessary, albeit partial, remedy to a long-standing issue of understaffing in the higher judiciary of the region.
