Senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Punjab Cabinet Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Sunday strongly objected to the appointment of Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra as the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court without consultation with the Punjab Government, saying the manner in which the appointment was made raised serious questions about the Centre’s respect for Punjab’s constitutional rights and the federal structure of the country. He was accompanied by AAP leader Taranpreet Singh Sunny.
Addressing a press conference in Jalandhar, Cabinet Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said the Punjab Government had not been given an opportunity to present its views before the appointment was finalised. “The manner in which this appointment has been made raises serious questions about the Centre’s respect for Punjab’s constitutional rights and the federal structure of the country. The Punjab Government was not given an opportunity to present its views before the appointment was finalised,” he added.
The Minister said the matter was particularly serious because the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) governing such appointments provides for the views of the concerned State Government to be considered. “Both the communication from the Governor of Punjab to Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann dated August 12, 2026, and the communication from Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal referred to the relevant procedure,” he added.
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“Despite the procedure clearly requiring the State’s views to be taken into consideration, the Punjab Government’s consultation wasn’t taken before the appointment of the Chief Justice. This is not merely an issue concerning an appointment; it is an issue concerning the rights of Punjab and the constitutional federal structure,” said Minister Harpal Singh Cheema.
He also questioned the Centre’s handling of the earlier recommendation concerning Justice G.S. Sandhawalia, who was then the senior-most judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. “The Supreme Court Collegium had recommended Justice Sandhawalia’s appointment as Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court in July 2024, but the appointment remained pending for more than two months before he was subsequently appointed Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court,” he pointed out.
Minister Harpal Singh Cheema stated, “I want to ask why Justice G.S. Sandhawalia’s appointment as Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh was delayed despite the Collegium’s recommendation, while the appointment of Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra as Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court was processed without consulting the Punjab Government.”
“This raises a fundamental question: if the State’s views are part of the prescribed procedure, why was Punjab’s elected government not consulted? The Chief Minister represents the mandate of three crore Punjabis. Ignoring the elected State Government is an insult not only to the Chief Minister but also to the people of Punjab,” he said.
The Minister said, “The issue required an immediate discussion by the Punjab Cabinet. CM Bhagwant Singh Mann has convened an emergency Cabinet meeting at 4 PM on Sunday to deliberate on the matter.”
Calling the appointment a serious issue concerning the rights of the State, Minister Harpal Singh Cheema stated, “The Constitution establishes a federal structure in which both the Centre and States have clearly defined powers. The Centre cannot repeatedly interfere in the rights of the States. Punjab Government will strongly raise its voice against any attempt to undermine its constitutional rights and the federal structure.”
