Govt. Appoints Justice AK Mittal As Acting Chief Justice Of Punjab & Haryana HC Through Late Night Notification

In a notification issued late at night on Thursday, the Centre appointed Justice A.K. Mittal as Acting Chief Justice of Punjab & Haryana High Court, putting an end to the uncertainty at the High Court due to Justice S.J. Vazifdar's retirement.

The Collegium had, on 19 April, recommended appointment of Justice Krishna Murari as the Chief Justice of the High Court. The Centre has, however, not acted on this recommendation yet.

This had led to a lot of confusion at the Court, with the Registrar Judicial writing a letter to the outgoing Chief justice, seeking directions on listing of matters which are to be heard by Division Bench – I, which is headed by the Chief Justice.

Justice Vazifdar had, however, refused to arrange the roster for the period after his retirement, and had directed the Registrar to seek directions from the senior-most judge.