Justice Vazifdar to be Acting CJ of Punjab and Haryana HC

Saurabh Malik

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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 9

Justice Shiavax Jal Vazifdar will be sworn in as the Acting Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court by Punjab Governor Shivraj V Patil on December 15.

The oath ceremony, expected to be attended by the sitting and former judges, is scheduled to be held at Punjab Raj Bhawan at 1 pm.

The High Court has been functioning without a regular Chief Justice ever since Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul was transferred. In his absence, Justice Ashutosh Mohunta has so far been functioning as the Acting Chief Justice.

Acting Chief Justice Vazifdar comes at a time when the Bar has raised objections to the transfer of three Judges from the Punjab and Haryana High Court to other high courts. It has sought reconsideration of the transfers and has even passed a resolution saying that there was no administrative or other reason for their transfer.

No less than seven former Judges of the Supreme Court and former Chief Justices of different High Courts also have written to the Chief Justice of India to say that the perplexing transfers have left the legal fraternity wondering. They, too, have not been able to take the transfers “out of the pale of arbitrariness”.

The letter has been written by Supreme Court’s former Judge Justice Kuldeep Singh, Supreme Court’s former Judge, Justice HS Bedi, Allahabad High Court’s former Chief Justice SS Sodhi, Sikkim High Court’s former Chief Justice MS Gujral, former Chief Justice of the Andhra High Court, Justice Manmohan Singh Liberhan, former Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, Justice RN Aggarwal, and former Acting Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Justice Mehtab Singh Gill.

While Justice Anupinder Singh Grewal and Justice Jaishree Thakur are being shifted to the Rajasthan High Court, Justice BS Walia is being transferred to the J&K High Court. They were elevated, along with nine other Judges, in September.

Justice Vazifdar was sworn in as Additional Judge of the Bombay HC on January 22, 2001. At the time of his appointment, he was practicing in civil, constitutional, company and arbitration matters. He is also known for his acumen in dealing with the complicated subject of income tax.