SC Collegium Recommends 10 Advocates Including Haryana AG for Appointment as Punjab and Haryana High Court Judges

The Supreme Court Collegium, in its meeting held on 4 May 2026, has approved the elevation of ten advocates as judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The recommendations include Advocate Pravindra Singh Chauhan, the current Advocate General of Haryana, and Advocate Harmeet Singh Deol, who serves as Additional Advocate General of Punjab. The decision comes against the backdrop of a significant gap between the High Court's sanctioned strength of 85 judges and its current working strength of 58.

The Recommended Advocates

The Collegium, led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and comprising Justice B.V. Nagarathna, Justice J.K. Maheshwari, Justice Vikram Nath, and Justice M.M. Sundresh, recommended the following ten advocates for appointment: Monica Chhibber Sharma, Harmeet Singh Deol, Puja Chopra, Sunish Bindlish, Navdeep Singh, Divya Sharma, Ravinder Malik, Pravindra Singh Chauhan, Rajesh Gaur, and Minderjeet Yadav.

The inclusion of the Haryana Advocate General and the Punjab Additional Advocate General in the recommendations is noteworthy. Both positions carry significant responsibility in representing the respective state governments before the High Court, and their elevation to the Bench reflects the Collegium's assessment of their judicial temperament and legal acumen.

Addressing the Vacancy Crisis

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has been operating at approximately 68 percent of its sanctioned judicial capacity. With 27 vacancies, the Court has faced challenges in disposing of its pendency, which runs into lakhs of cases. The appointment of ten additional judges would raise the working strength to 68, though 17 vacancies would still remain.

The vacancy crisis in High Courts is a nationwide concern. As of early 2026, approximately 30 percent of sanctioned High Court positions across India remain unfilled. The Supreme Court and the Government have engaged in repeated discussions on expediting the appointment process, with the Collegium accelerating its recommendation cycle in recent months.

The Appointment Process Going Forward

Following the Collegium's recommendation, the names will be forwarded to the Union Government for approval. The Government may accept the recommendations, return them for reconsideration, or seek additional information. Under the Memorandum of Procedure, the Government is expected to act on Collegium recommendations within a reasonable timeframe, though delays have been a recurring point of contention between the judiciary and the executive.

If the Government returns any name and the Collegium reiterates its recommendation, the appointment becomes binding on the Government. This process, established by the Supreme Court in the Second and Third Judges Cases, remains the governing framework for judicial appointments in India.