SC collegium reiterates elevation of Harpreet Singh Brar as HC judge

The Supreme Court collegium has reiterated the name of senior advocate Harpreet Singh Brar for elevation as a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court

New Delhi: The name of senior advocate Harpreet Singh Brar was reiterated for elevation as a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court by the Supreme Court collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud.

In a resolution uploaded on the apex court website on Wednesday, the collegium, which also comprises Justices S.K. Kaul and K.M. Joseph, said that on March 10, 2022, the collegium of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana recommended the elevation of Brar as a judge of the high court. The recommendation was approved by the collegium of the Supreme Court on July 25, 2022. However, the Department of Justice flagged certain issues and referred back the recommendation on November 25, 2022 for reconsideration by collegium.

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The apex court collegium, in February this year, sought the views of the collegium of the high court, which held a meeting on February 23 to reconsider the recommendation for the appointment of Brar, bearing in mind the observation of the Department of Justice.
“Upon careful evaluation of the matters which have been noted by the Department of

Justice, the high court collegium which has been constituted afresh with a new member has arrived at the unanimous view that there was no reason to take a view different from the one taken earlier and has reiterated the recommendation for the elevation of Harpreet Singh Brar,” said the statement published on court’s website.

The resolution further added that the collegium of the Supreme Court took into consideration the opinion of its consultee-judges.

“The collegium has now obtained the opinion of two more consultee-judges who have been appointed as judges of the Supreme Court recently. In view of the opinion of the consultee-judges of this court and the report submitted by the Chief Justice of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana along with minutes of the collegium and papers enclosed with it, and after examining all aspects of the matter, the collegium is of the view that Harpreet Singh Brar is fit and suitable for appointment as a Judge of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana,” said the apex court collegium resolution.