MITTAL TO BE ACTING CJ OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA HC

Chief justice of the Punjab and Haryana high court SJ Vazifdar retired on Thursday. The Union government has appointed the senior-most judge of the HC justice AK Mittal as the acting chief justice. On April 19, the SC recommended the name of justice Krishna Murari as the chief justice, but the Centre is yet to clear his name.

CHANDIGARH :The chief justice of the Punjab and Haryana high court, SJ Vazifdar, retired on Thursday.

The Central government has appointed the senior-most judge of the high court, justice AK Mittal, as the acting chief justice. The notification for his appointment was put out about 11.30pm.

On April 19, the Supreme Court had recommended the name of justice Krishna Murari of the Allahabad high court as the chief justice, but the Centre is yet to clear his name.Justice Vazifdar had assumed charge as the 33rd chief justice of the Punjab and Haryana high court on August 6, 2016 and had been the acting chief justice from December 15, 2014.

Vazifdar practised at the Bombay high court and was elevated as a judge in 2004.

Confusion prevailed at the high court over the new appointment and at about 7.30pm, the high court administration had put out an order stating that in view of no communication on the appointment of the chief justice or the acting chief justice from the Centre, the cases listed before justice Vazifdar, would be taken up by the division bench of justice AK Mittal on Friday.