High Court Chandigarh Gets 9 New Additional Judges, Oath on Friday

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Chandigarh: The High Court Chandigarh is set to get nine new Additional Judges after the Centre notified their appointments on Thursday, August 20, providing a significant boost to the Bench at a time when the court is facing a major shortage of judges and a huge backlog of cases.

The nine newly appointed Additional Judges will take oath on Friday at the Punjab and Haryana High Court in Chandigarh. Acting Chief Justice Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra will administer the oath during the ceremony.

The appointments come more than three months after the Supreme Court Collegium cleared the names of 10 advocates for elevation as Additional Judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The Centre has now notified the appointment of nine of those recommended candidates.

The development is particularly important for the High Court Chandigarh, which currently has a sanctioned strength of 85 judges but has been functioning with only 55 judges. The court is also dealing with more than 4.22 lakh pending cases, making the strengthening of its judicial Bench a significant development for litigants across Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh.

High Court Chandigarh Gets 9 New Additional Judges

The nine advocates appointed as Additional Judges are Monica Chhibber Sharma, Harmeet Singh Deol, Pravindra Singh Chauhan, Rajesh Gaur, Puja Chopra, Sunish Bindlish, Minderjeet Yadav, Divya Sharma and Ravinder Malik.

The appointments have been made by the President of India under the constitutional provisions governing the appointment of High Court judges, following consultation with the Chief Justice of India, Justice Surya Kant.

For the High Court Chandigarh, the appointments come at a crucial time. The court handles cases from Punjab, Haryana and the Union Territory of Chandigarh and deals with a wide range of civil, criminal and constitutional matters.

The addition of nine judges will increase the working strength of the court and could help distribute the workload among the Bench more effectively. However, even after these appointments, the court is expected to remain below its sanctioned strength.

Who Are the Nine New Judges Appointed to High Court Chandigarh?

The list includes advocates with experience in legal practice who will now move from the Bar to the Bench.

Monica Chhibber Sharma, Harmeet Singh Deol, Pravindra Singh Chauhan, Rajesh Gaur, Puja Chopra, Sunish Bindlish, Minderjeet Yadav, Divya Sharma and Ravinder Malik will begin their judicial responsibilities after taking oath.

Among the names, Pravindra Singh Chauhan’s appointment has attracted particular attention because of his current position as Haryana Advocate-General.

Chauhan’s elevation means the Haryana government will now have to identify a new Advocate-General to lead the state’s legal team.

His move to the Bench also highlights the wider impact of judicial appointments, as the change will affect not only the High Court Chandigarh but also the legal administration of Haryana.

New Judges to Take Oath on Friday

The oath ceremony will take place at the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday.

Acting Chief Justice Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra will administer the oath to the nine newly appointed Additional Judges.

The ceremony will formally mark their transition from practising advocates to members of the judiciary. Once they assume office, they will become part of the Bench responsible for hearing and deciding cases involving citizens, governments, companies and institutions across the court’s jurisdiction.

The timing of the appointments is significant because the High Court Chandigarh is already dealing with a substantial workload.

A larger Bench can allow the court to constitute more effective Benches and distribute cases according to judicial requirements. It can also provide additional capacity for dealing with fresh cases while continuing hearings in older matters.

However, the appointments alone are unlikely to resolve the court’s long-standing pendency problem.

High Court Chandigarh Faces 4.22 Lakh Pending Cases

The High Court Chandigarh is currently dealing with more than 4.22 lakh pending cases, according to figures available through the National Judicial Data Grid.

The pending cases include approximately 2,55,274 civil matters and 1,67,587 criminal cases.

The numbers underline the scale of the challenge before the court.

Civil cases cover a broad range of disputes, including property matters, service-related issues, contractual disputes and challenges to government decisions. Criminal cases, meanwhile, can involve bail, appeals, incarceration and questions relating to personal liberty.

Delays in criminal cases can have particularly serious consequences because they may directly affect the liberty of individuals awaiting judicial decisions.

The large pendency has therefore increased the need for a stronger judicial Bench and more efficient case management.

The appointment of nine Additional Judges should provide some relief, although the court will continue to face a significant gap between its sanctioned and working strength.

Pravindra Singh Chauhan’s Appointment Opens Haryana AG Race

The appointment of Pravindra Singh Chauhan is also expected to trigger an important change in Haryana’s legal administration.

Chauhan currently serves as the Advocate-General of Haryana, the state’s highest law officer. With his elevation to the Bench, the Haryana government will have to appoint a new Advocate-General.

The Advocate-General represents the state in important legal proceedings and provides legal advice to the government on constitutional and other significant matters.

His departure from the post is therefore expected to generate considerable interest among the legal fraternity and political circles in Haryana.

The selection of his successor will be closely watched because the new Advocate-General will take charge at a time when several important legal and constitutional issues involving the state continue to reach the courts.

Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra Set to Become Chief Justice

The latest appointments come alongside another important development concerning the leadership of the court.

Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra, who is currently serving as Acting Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, has already been cleared by the Supreme Court Collegium for appointment as the regular Chief Justice.

The Centre is expected to issue the formal notification regarding his appointment soon.

If notified, his appointment would provide permanent leadership to the High Court Chandigarh at a time when the institution is facing both judicial vacancies and heavy case pendency.

The Chief Justice has an important administrative role in managing the functioning of the High Court, including allocation of judicial work, constitution of Benches and overall court administration.

What the New Appointments Mean for High Court Chandigarh

The appointment of nine Additional Judges is an important step towards strengthening the High Court Chandigarh.

With the court handling more than four lakh pending cases, additional judges can help improve its capacity to hear matters and manage the growing workload.

However, the court will still have vacancies even after the latest appointments. The sanctioned strength stands at 85, while the court had 55 working judges before the new appointments.

This means further appointments may still be required if the court is to reach its full sanctioned capacity.

Reducing pendency will also require improvements beyond the appointment of judges. Court infrastructure, administrative staff, technology, case management and efficient listing of cases all play an important role in ensuring that matters move through the judicial system without unnecessary delays.

For litigants, lawyers and families waiting for decisions, every increase in judicial capacity can make a meaningful difference.

The latest notification therefore comes as an important development for Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh. As the nine new judges take oath on Friday, attention will now shift towards how quickly the strengthened Bench can address the enormous workload before the High Court Chandigarh.

At the same time, the expected appointment of Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra as regular Chief Justice and the search for Haryana’s next Advocate-General will remain closely watched developments in the region’s legal landscape.