Centre appoints Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra as acting Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court

PTC News Desk: The Centre on Monday appointed Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra as the Acting Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The development follows Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Sheel Nagu’s elevation to the Supreme Court.

Earlier, Union Law and Justice Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal announced the appointments on his social media handle. He stated that, under Article 124(2) of the Constitution of India, the President, after consultation with the Chief Justice of India, had approved the appointment of several judges to the Supreme Court, including Justice Sheel Nagu.

“In exercise of the powers conferred by Article 223 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra, Judge of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana, to perform the duties of the office of the Chief Justice of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana consequent upon appointment of Shri Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana as a Judge of the Supreme Court of India,” the notification read.

Justice Mishra, who was transferred from the Allahabad High Court, joined the Punjab and Haryana High Court on July 21, 2025.

Born on November 16, 1968, he completed his B.A. (Honours) in Economics from Kirori Mal College, Delhi University, and later earned his law degree from the Campus Law Centre of the University of Delhi.

He enrolled as an advocate on May 8, 1993, and mainly handled cases related to civil, constitutional and service laws.

During his legal career, he represented several government and public sector organisations, including NOIDA, the Ghaziabad and Allahabad Development Authorities, IFFCO, Indian Oil Corporation and Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation. He also appeared as senior counsel for the Uttar Pradesh government in several significant cases.