Punjab and Haryana HC to get three more Judges

Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 21

The Punjab and Haryana High Court will get three more Judges, including two from Himachal Pradesh High Court, following Supreme Court recommendations on their transfers.

Two Punjab and Haryana High Court’s senior Judges will, on the other hand, be transferred out.

Once the transfers come into force, the High Court will have 46 Judges against the current strength of 45. The sanctioned strength of the High Court, otherwise, is 85.

Available information suggests Justice Sureshwar Thakur and Justice Anoop Chitkara have been recommended for transfer by the Supreme Court collegium from the Himachal Pradesh High Court to the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Justice M.S.S. Ramachandra Rao’s transfer has also been recommended from the Telangana High Court to the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Justice Rao is currently the Acting Chief Justice there.

The Supreme Court collegium has already cleared the name of Justice Rajesh Bindal for elevation as the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court — one of the oldest high courts to be established in India. Justice Bindal is the senior-most Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and is currently the Acting Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court.

The Supreme Court collegium has further recommended the transfer of Punjab and Haryana High Court Judges, Justice Rajan Gupta to Patna and Justice Jaswant Singh to Orissa. Another recommendation is to transfer of senior Punjab and Haryana High Court Judge, Justice Sabina, to Himachal Pradesh High Court. She is currently a Judge of the Rajasthan High Court after being transferred from the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Justice Thakur, to be transferred to Chandigarh, was born on May 18, 1963, at Shimla. His father, Justice (late) Hira Singh Thakur was a Judge of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, while his mother Nirmala Thakur “is highly educated and is a renowned English poetess”.

In 2001, he was selected as an Additional District and Sessions Judge. He was elevated as an Additional Judge of the Himachal Pradesh High Court and assumed office on May 5, 2014.

Justice Chitkara was born on April 29, 1966, at Shimla and has been serving as a Judge at the High Court of Himachal Pradesh since May 30, 2019. His grandfather Tek Chand Chitkara was a senior advocate, while his father Madan Gopal Chitkara was former Advocate-General of Himachal Pradesh. He remained as Vice-Chairman of Himachal Pradesh State Administrative Tribunal and authored more than 50 books.