21 Aug 2026 Punjab Khabarnama Bureau : The Centre has notified the appointment of nine advocates as additional judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, with the newly appointed judges scheduled to take oath on Friday, August 21.
Nine Advocates Appointed
The nine newly appointed additional judges are:
- Monica Chhibber Sharma
- Harmeet Singh Deol
- Pravindra Singh Chauhan
- Rajesh Gaur
- Puja Chopra
- Sunish Bindlish
- Minderjeet Yadav
- Divya Sharma
- Ravinder Malik
Pravindra Singh Chauhan, who was serving as Haryana’s Advocate-General, is also among those elevated to the Bench.
Oath Ceremony Today
The oath of office will be administered by Acting Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra at the Punjab and Haryana High Court in Chandigarh.
The appointments come more than three months after the Supreme Court Collegium recommended the names for elevation. The Centre cleared nine of the 10 names recommended by the Collegium.
High Court Faces Judge Shortage
The appointments come at a time when the High Court is functioning with only 55 judges against a sanctioned strength of 85.
The addition of nine judges is expected to strengthen the Bench and help improve the court’s capacity to deal with its substantial case backlog.
Over 4.22 Lakh Cases Pending
The need for additional judges has become more pressing because of the large number of pending cases.
According to figures maintained by the National Judicial Data Grid, more than 4.22 lakh cases are pending before the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Chauhan’s Elevation to Affect Haryana’s Legal Team
Chauhan’s elevation is also significant for the Haryana government because he will now move from the position of Advocate-General to the Bench.
The state government will therefore have to appoint a new top law officer to lead its legal team and represent it before the High Court and Supreme Court. Chauhan had been appointed Haryana AG in December 2024.
New Chief Justice Also in Line
The development comes alongside another important change at the High Court.
The Supreme Court Collegium has already recommended Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra for appointment as the regular Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, with the Centre’s notification awaited.
Appointments Expected to Strengthen Bench
The appointment of the nine additional judges is expected to provide some relief to the High Court amid its heavy workload and growing pendency.
The move also highlights the continuing effort to address vacancies across India’s higher judiciary.