Taking the reins of Punjab and Haryana High Court as Chief Justice, Justice Shiavax Jal Vazifdar said that cutting down on the pendency of cases would be his priority.
Talking to the media in a brief interaction, Justice Vazifdar said that the pendency of cases was the prior most subject before the judiciary. He said that decline in the pendency had been registered in certain categories of cases due to constant efforts by the judges.
On the issue of appointing retired judges as ad hoc judges to accelerate the judicial process, Chief Justice Vazifdar said that the issue did not concern the High Court administration only and it has wider requisites. On the issue of separate High Court for Haryana Chief Justice Vazifdar said it was not a decision to be taken by the Chief Justice of the High Court. Referring to the Judge’s committee set up to study the need for other Benches for Haryana, he said that the report of committee was yet to be submitted and even after the submission of report, the matter will not reach conclusion, as it was not to be decided by the High Court only.
With the swearing in of Chief Justice Vazifdar, Punjab and Haryana High Court has got Chief Justice more than after two years, as after transfer of Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul in July 2014, the High Court had been functioning under the command of Acting Chief Justices, including Justice Vazifdar. His name was cleared for elevation as the Chief Justice by the Supreme Court collegium in May this year.
Justice Vazifdar had joined elevated to the Bench from the Bombay High Court Bar on January 22, 2001, when he was sworn in as Additional Judge. He had been serving as the Acting Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court since December 15, 2014. Justice Vazifdar is known for his expertise in dealing with the complicated subject of income-tax.