Justice Vikas Bahl administered oath

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 25

A day after the President appointed senior advocate Vikas Bahl as an additional judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, he was administered oath by Chief Justice Ravi Shanker Jha this afternoon at a simple but impressive ceremony.

Known for his legal acumen, Justice Bahl was handling a wide variety of cases involving civil rights and constitutional issues prior to his elevation. Justice Bahl’s name was cleared by the Supreme Court in March, paving way for his appointment.

Justice Bahl was enrolled as an advocate in March 1999 and designated senior advocate in January 2014. With his elevation, the number of HC judges has gone up to 47 against the sanctioned strength of 85. The elevation comes at a time when the High Court is facing a pendency of 6,80,132 cases. The situation is expected to worsen in the near future with three more judges retiring this year.