NEW DELHI: Judicial circles both in Delhi and Chandigarh are disturbed over the moves of the Punjab and Haryana Governments to fill the five vacancies in the Punjab and Haryana High Court with persons either related to the ruling party leaders or senior judicial officers.
Recently five names have been forwarded to the Center for filling these vacancies. These names are Satish Sibal V.K.Sibal V.K Jain H.S.Mattewal and M.L.Sarin.
While Satish Sibal is the brother of H.L.Sibal Haryana Advocate General V.K.Sibal is his son. One Sibal is being sought to be inducted from the Punjab quota and the other from the Haryana quota.
Incidentally Kapil Sibal who was appointed Additional Solicitor General by the VP Singh ministry is another son of H.S.Sibal. He joined the Congress (I) after the VP government fell. The Sibal family is close to the Haryana Chief Minister Bhajan Lal.
V.K Jain is related to Justice P.C.Jain former judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court as also G.C.Mittal former chief justice of the Delhi High Court.
Mattewal presently Punjab Advocate General has acted as an important link between Akali leader Prakash Singh Badal and Gen OP.Malhowa former Punjab governor. M.L.Sarin is the only one who could be said to have been recommended without any connection
In the case of Punjab Gen Malhotra during his tenure had approved the name of only Mattewal. Other names have been subsequently included without consulting the new Governor. Even the acting Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Justice I.S Tiwana has not been consulted as per convention.
Following the recommendation of these five names the ratio of judges from Punjab and Haryana is being disturbed according to legal circles. As per convention Punjab sends two-third judges and the remainder comes from Haryana.
With Bhajan Lal bent upon accommodating the Sibals the ratio of Punjab is bound to be reduced.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 20, 1991
