The Punjab and Haryana High Court has reached a significant milestone in gender representation in the judiciary, with the number of women judges rising to 19 following the appointment of nine additional judges.
For the first time in the more than 100-year history of the High Court, three women judges were sworn in alongside six male judges in the same ceremony, taking the total number of women judges to its highest-ever level. The previous high was 18.
Nine Additional Judges Take Oath
Acting Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra administered the oath of office and secrecy to the nine newly appointed additional judges during a ceremony held at the High Court premises on Friday.
The three women judges sworn in were Monica Chhibber Sharma, Pooja Chopra and Divya Sharma.
The other six judges appointed as additional judges were Haryana Advocate General Pravindra Singh Chauhan, Harmeet Singh Deol, Rajesh Gaur, Sunish Bindlish, Mindarjit Yadav and Ravinder Malik.
The ceremony was attended by serving and retired High Court judges, officials, members of the legal fraternity, family members of the newly appointed judges and other members of the judicial community.
Women Judges Reach Record Number
With the three new appointments, the number of women judges serving in the Punjab and Haryana High Court has increased to 19.
The current women judges include Alka Sarin, Archana Puri, Lapita Banerjee, Nidhi Gupta, Amarjot Bhatti, Manisha Batra, Harpreet Kaur Jeevan, Sukhwinder Kaur, Sudipti Sharma, Kirti Singh, Mandeep Pannu, Rupinderjit Chahal, Shalini Singh Nagpal, Aradhana Sawhney, Ramesh Kumari and Neerja K. Kalson, along with the three newly appointed judges.
The rise in the number of women on the bench is being viewed as an important step towards greater gender representation in the judiciary. It could also bring broader perspectives to cases involving women, children and gender-related issues.
Centre Clears Appointments
The appointments were notified by the Central government on Thursday. The names of the nine judges were recommended by the Supreme Court Collegium more than three months ago. The appointments came amid pendency of cases and shortage of judges in the High Court.
As per the sanctioned strength of the High Court of 85 judges, its working strength has risen to 64 after the latest appointments, leaving 21 posts vacant.
The court faces pending cases in both civil and criminal categories, and the appointment of the nine judges is likely to add to its judicial strength in dealing with the caseload.
Ashwani Kumar Mishra Set To Become Chief Justice
The Supreme Court Collegium has also approved the appointment of Acting Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra as the regular Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. A formal notification from the Central Government is expected.
Meanwhile, the elevation of Haryana Advocate General Pravindra Singh Chauhan to the High Court bench will leave the post of the state's top law officer vacant. The Haryana government will now have to appoint a new Advocate General to represent the state before the High Court and the Supreme Court.