New Delhi, August 9: The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended the appointment of Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra, a senior judge of the Allahabad High Court, as the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Following this recommendation, Arvind Kejriwal, the national convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), raised concerns about the promotion process for judges and the lack of transparency on the social media platform X.
Kejriwal expressed his views in a post on X, questioning the haste in promoting judges to the Supreme Court. He asked whether judges should be promoted without considering seniority, suggesting that this could lead to potential “transactions.”
He further inquired about the criteria used to evaluate judges before their elevation to the Supreme Court. “Is loyalty to the ruling party taken into account? Shouldn’t the public be aware of this? How will they face the younger generation?” he wrote.
Kejriwal emphasized that promotions should not occur in a non-transparent manner, especially in cases where the law is overlooked to appease the government. He warned against the misuse of courts as tools and stressed the importance of judicial integrity in preserving democracy.
It is noteworthy that in June, President Droupadi Murmu appointed Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra as the Acting Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Born on November 16, 1968, Justice Mishra earned his BA (Honors) in Economics from Kirori Mal College, Delhi University, and his LLB from the Campus Law Centre, Delhi University.
He registered as an advocate on May 8, 1993, primarily practicing in civil, constitutional, and service law. He represented various statutory and public bodies, including the Noida and Ghaziabad Development Authorities, IFFCO, Indian Oil Corporation, and the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation. He also served as a senior advocate representing the state government in significant cases.
Justice Mishra was designated as a senior advocate in 2013 and took oath as an additional judge of the Allahabad High Court on February 3, 2014. He became a permanent judge on February 1, 2016, and served in the Allahabad High Court until July 20, 2025, before his transfer to the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
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