Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra Takes Oath as Punjab & Haryana High Court Chief Justice

Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday. Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria administered the oath of office and secrecy at a ceremony attended by Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini.

Prior to this appointment, Justice Mishra had been serving as the Acting Chief Justice of the same court. His judicial career includes over a decade of service as a judge at the Allahabad High Court, where he served for approximately 11 years before his transfer.

Justice Mishra brings extensive legal experience to his new role, having practiced as an advocate at the Allahabad High Court for two decades before his elevation to the bench. He began his legal career in 1993 after completing his BA (Honours) from Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi, followed by his law degree.

A native of Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, Justice Mishra comes from a distinguished legal family. His father, Shree Rang Mishra, was a judge at the Allahabad and Calcutta High Courts, and his elder brother, Ajay Kumar Mishra, currently serves as the Advocate General for the Uttar Pradesh government.

During his tenure as Acting Chief Justice, Justice Mishra delivered a significant ruling in a case concerning Dearness Allowance (DA) for Punjab government employees. He directed the state government to clear outstanding DA payments within fifteen days. The Punjab government has since appealed this decision in the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, employees have filed a contempt petition against the state for non-compliance; the court heard the matter recently and scheduled the next hearing for September 10.