Jalandhar: Addressing media representatives in Jalandhar alongside party leader Taranpreet Singh Sunny on Sunday, Punjab Cabinet Minister Harpal Singh Cheema raised strong objections regarding the appointment of Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra as Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The Minister maintained that the central notification was finalized without awaiting formal inputs from the state administration, describing the development as a disregard for established consultative procedures and federal principles.
The Minister noted that the Memorandum of Procedure governing higher judicial appointments explicitly requires obtaining the views of the concerned state government. He affirmed that official communications from the Union Law Ministry and the Governor had previously referenced this requirement, yet the final decision proceeded without input from the elected state leadership.
Pointing to past precedents, the Cabinet Minister questioned why earlier Collegium recommendations, such as the proposed elevation of Justice G.S. Sandhawalia to the Madhya Pradesh High Court in 2024, were kept pending for months while awaiting state responses, whereas the current appointment was expedited. He asserted that bypassing the state leadership undermines the mandate of the state’s population.
Following the statements, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann convened an emergency Cabinet meeting on Sunday afternoon to deliberate on the matter. The Minister reiterated that the state government will continue to assert its constitutional rights within the federal framework.
