NEW DELHI, Sep 7: BJP Rajya Sabha MP Tarun Chugh on Monday criticised Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for opposing the appointment of Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra as the chief justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Chugh said the Constitution does not provide the state government with any “political veto” over the appointment of judges and questioned the Punjab government’s decision to object to the elevation.
Justice Mishra was sworn in as the chief justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday.
The BJP leader’s remarks came a day after the Punjab Cabinet adopted a resolution urging the Centre not to proceed with administering the oath to Justice Mishra until the concerns raised by the state government were addressed.
Chugh accused the Mann government of attempting to interfere in a constitutional process and asserted that judicial appointments must remain independent of political considerations.
He said the judiciary is a constitutional institution and should not be treated as an extension of any political party or government.
The BJP MP also criticised the timing of the Punjab Cabinet’s resolution, arguing that the state government’s objections should not be allowed to undermine the established process for appointing constitutional authorities.
The controversy has brought renewed attention to the relationship between state governments and the higher judiciary, particularly over the limits of executive involvement in judicial appointments.
With Justice Mishra having assumed office, the dispute is likely to keep the focus on the constitutional framework governing appointments to the higher judiciary and the respective roles of the Centre, state governments and judicial authorities.