Punjab govt. objects to appointment of Ashwani Kumar Mishra as HC Chief Justice, asks Centre to halt oath ceremony

The Punjab Cabinet passed an emergency resolution on September 6, 2026, opposing the Centre's appointment of Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra as Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann wrote to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging a halt to the oath ceremony scheduled for September 7, citing violation of the Memorandum of Procedure and constitutional norms.

"No one has the right to sit over the proposal for an indefinite period with a view to scuttle the judicial process and politicise a non-political issue." — Additional Solicitor General Satya Pal Jain