Nine judicial officers, one advocate elevated as additional judges of Punjab & Haryana HC

Nine judicial officers, including five women, and an advocate were on Tuesday elevated as additional judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The advocate's name was held back by the government earlier.

According to a notification issued by the Department of Justice in the Law Ministry, advocate Kuldeep Tiwari, and judicial officers Gurbir Singh, Deepak Gupta, Amarjot Bhatti, Ritu Tagore, Manisha Batra, Harpreet Kaur Jeewan, Sukhvinder Kaur, Sanjiv Berry, and Vikram Aggarwal have been appointed as additional judges.

Additional judges are usually appointed for a period of two years before being elevated as permanent judges.

The notification said Ritu Tagore has been appointed as an additional judge with effect from the date she assumes charge of her office till September 28, 2024, when she attains the stipulated age of 62 years fixed for superannuation of a high court judge.

According to the website of the Department of Justice, as on November 1, the sanctioned strength of the Punjab and Haryana High Court is 85, but it is functioning with 56 judges -- a vacancy of 29.