New Delhi: The Centre on Friday cleared the appointment of two judges to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, following the recommendation made by the Supreme Court Collegium.
“In exercise of the power conferred by clause (1) of Article 224 of th Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint i) Shri Ramesh Chande imri and ii) Ms. Neerja Kulwant Kalson, to be Additional Judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court for a period of two years with effect from the date they assume charge of their respective offices,” said a notification issued by the Union Ministry of Law and Justice.
The Apex Court Collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, in its meeting held on December 16, 2025, approved the proposal for the elevation of the two judicial officers as judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
The recommendation for the appointment of judicial officers Ramesh Chander Dimri and Neerja Kulwant Kalson was originally initiated by the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in consultation with his two senior-most colleagues.
As per the memorandum of procedure (MoP) governing the appointment of High Court judges, the proposal for the appointment should be initiated by the Chief Justice.
If the Chief Minister wishes to recommend any name, it must be forwarded to the Chief Justice for consideration. The Governor, as advised by the Chief Minister, should forward his recommendation along with the entire set of papers to the Union Minister of Law and Justice as early as possible, but not later than six weeks from the date of receipt of the proposal from the Chief Justice of the High Court.
The proposal is then reviewed by the Centre along with other background inputs before being sent to the Chief Justice of India (CJI), who consults the two senior-most judges of the Supreme Court before finalising a recommendation.
Following the consultations, the CJI will, in the course of four weeks, send his recommendation to the Union Minister of Law and Justice. As per the MoP, as soon as the warrant of appointment is signed by the President, the Secretary of the Department of Justice will inform the Chief Justice, and a copy of such communication will be sent to the Chief Minister.
He will also announce the appointment and issue the necessary notification in the Gazette of India.
Earlier in the day, the Centre notified the appointment of Justice Mahesh Sharadchandra Sonak, a judge of the Bombay High Court, as the Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court, following the retirement of the incumbent Chief Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan on January 8.
(IANS)
