Justice Shiavax Jal Vazifdar, Acting Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, was Saturday evening sworn in as permanent Chief Justice of the High Court by Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki at Raj Bhawan.
Talking to the media after taking oath, the Chief Justice said the decision on the demand for a separate High Court for Haryana was yet to be taken as he has not yet received the report from the High Court judges’ committee constituted for the purpose. “I am not the only one who has to decide about it.” he added.
Haryana and Punjab Governor Prof Kaptan Singh Solanki administers oath of office to Acting Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice Shiavax Jal Vazifdar, as the Chief Justice of the High Court, at Haryana Raj Bhavan in Chandigarh on Saturday. (Express Photo)
However, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, present at the occasion, said the state government has taken up the case of a separate high court with the Centre.
Commenting on the pendency of cases and shortage of 41 judges in the High Court, the Chief Justice said the judges had been under tremendous pressure and that “in recent past there have been months, when disposal rate was higher than the institution rate.”
Asked as why retired judges cannot be appointed as adhoc judges to tackle pendency of cases, the Chief Justice said he alone cannot take a decision on the issue. He said his priority would be to ensure justice to the common man.
He refused to comment over the controversy surrounding National Judicial Accountability Commission. Joined as Acting Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court from Bombay High Court in December 2014, Justice Vazifdar has been Acting Chief Justice for last 19 months longest period in the history of Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Born on May 4,1956, he completed LL.B. from Hinduja Law College, Bombay and enrolled as an advocate on the rolls of Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa in 1980. He practiced in the Bombay High Court in Civil, Constitutional, Company and Arbitration matters.
He was sworn in as Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court on in January 2001, and later assumed charge as Acting The swearing in ceremony was also attended by Judges and advocates of the High Court, Punjab cabinet minister Aadesh Pratap Karon, Chief Secretaries of Punjab and Haryana, Adviser to Chandigarh Administrator, Haryana Advocate General and family members of the Chief Justice.