Punjab Government Protests Appointment of New Chief Justice, Seeks Reconsideration

The tussle between the state government and the Centre over the appointment of a new Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in Punjab has escalated. The Punjab Cabinet, in an emergency meeting held through video conferencing on Sunday (September 6) evening, passed a resolution against the central government's decision. The matter relates to the appointment of Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra as the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The Punjab government says that without waiting for the state government's opinion, the Centre has issued a notification for the appointment. The state government has called it a step that bypasses constitutional norms and due process. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has written separate letters to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this regard. He has appealed to both of them not to go ahead with the process of administering the oath of office to Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra on Monday until the concerns of the Punjab government are properly addressed.