Centre notifies appointment of Justice Sandhawalia as Himachal HC Chief Justice-OxBig News Network

The Centre on Monday notified the appointment of Justice GS Sandhawalia, the senior-most puisne Judge of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana, as the next Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court.

“In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 217 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia, Judge, Punjab and Haryana High Court, to be the Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, with effect from the date he assumes charge of his office,” a Department of Justice notification read.

The notification came more than three months after the Supreme Court Collegium recommended his appointment as the Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court. He was supposed to take over on October 18 on the retirement of Justice Rajiv Shakdher but the notification was delayed.

On July 11, the top court’s Collegium had recommended Justice Sandhawalia to be appointed as the Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court but the Collegium’s resolution was superseded on September 17 and he was recommended to be appointed as the Himachal Pradesh High Court Chief Justice.

Born on November 1, 1965, he graduated in B.A.(Hons.) from DAV College, Chandigarh in 1986 and obtained a law degree from the Department of Laws, Panjab University, Chandigarh. He got enrolled as an advocate in August 1989 and practised at the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

His father Justice Surjit Singh Sandhawalia was the Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court from 1978 to 1983 and of the Patna High Court from 1983 to 1987. He was elevated to the Bench on September 30, 2011 and became permanent judge of this Court on January 24, 2014.