Collegium recommends appointment of six additional judges of Punjab and Haryana HC as permanent judges
The Supreme Court Collegium recommended the name of six additional judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court (HC) for appointment as permanent judges. The decision was taken by the three-member Supreme Court Collegium consisting of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice KM Joseph, and Justice SK Kaul. The recommended names were Justice Jasjit Singh Bedi, Justice Vinod Sharma (Bhardwaj), Justice Vikas Suri, Justice Pankaj Jain, Justice Sandee Moudgil, and Justice Vikas Bahl. While recommending these names, the Collegium opined that these Additional judges “are fit and suitable for being appointed as Permanent Judges”.
The resolution passed by the Collegium highlighted that “The Committee constituted in terms of the resolution dates 26th October 2017 of the Supreme Court Collegium to evaluate the judgments of the above-named Additional Judges, has submitted its report. The Judgment Evaluation Committee consisting of two judges of the Supreme Court has noted the judgments of the candidates as Very Good (Serial no. i, v and vi), Good (Serial no. ii and iii), and Outstanding (Serial no. iv).” Also, it determined that to ensure the suitability of the above-mentioned additional judges for appointment as Permanent Judges in Punjab and Haryana HC, the Collegium had scrutinized the material placed on the record including the complaints placed before the Collegium and observations made by the Department of Justice.
The Collegium of Punjab and Haryana HC recommended the names unanimously on 19 December 2022. The names were then concurred by the Chief Minister and the Governors of the States of Punjab and Haryana. While recommending these names, the Supreme Court Collegium consulted with other judges of the top Court who were familiar with the functioning of the Punjab and Haryana HC so as to ensure whether the mentioned names were suitable for appointment as permanent judges or not.
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