Punjab & Haryana HC recommends 11 names for judges’ posts

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court collegium is learnt to have cleared names of 11 lawyers for appointment as judges. These include daughter of a former Punjab and Haryana high court judge and two law officers of Punjab and one of Haryana.

Sources said the collegium, presided over by chief justice SJ Vazifdar and comprising justice AK Mittal and justice Surya Kant, met last month and cleared these names. The names have been forwarded to both the governments of Punjab and Haryana and the Supreme Court, sources added.

Seven names have been recommended from Punjab Bar and four from Haryana.

Those from Punjab Bar include former Punjab deputy advocate general and UT senior panel counsel Sukant Gupta, additional advocate general, Punjab, Harsimran Singh, Supreme Court lawyer Arun Kumar Monga, Jasdeep Singh Gill, Mansur Ali, additional advocate general, Haryana, Deepinder Singh Nalwa and Harsh Bunger.

Those from Haryana Bar include Manjari Nehru Kaul, daughter of justice RK Nehru (retd), former deputy advocate general, Haryana, Sanjay Vashisth, additional advocate general, Punjab, Manoj Bajaj and Sunil Kumar Singh Panwar.

Having a sanctioned strength of 85 judges, the Punjab and Haryana high court at present has 50 judges, including the chief justice.

The HC got six judges in July this year, whose names were recommended in June 2016.